Medical planners finalizing BRAC plan

  • Published
  • By Capt. Suzanne Ovel
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  McChord's 62nd Medical Group and Fort Lewis' Madigan Army Medical Center officials are making definitive progress on a plan to realign the McChord clinic under Madigan. 

"We are working diligently to finalize the medical BRAC plan for McChord," said Col. Thomas McCauley, 62nd MDG commander. 

The realignment, directed by 2005's Base Realignment and Closure Act, administratively aligns the McChord clinic under Madigan control and also dictates a cost savings of 48 personnel. This BRAC directive is a distinctly separate initiative from joint basing. 

In mid-January, McChord hosted an assembly of key players from the Air Force and the Army to draft the final memorandum of agreement language. The MOA is currently being routed through medical personnel at the local and major command levels; it'll go next to the Pentagon for final draft review prior to the final local commander coordination, said Lt. Col. Bruce Roehm, 62nd MDG Administrator and 62nd Medical Support Squadron Commander. 

"The ultimate aim is a transparent realignment," said Lt. Col. John Andrus, 62nd MDG chief of aerospace medicine and 62nd Medical Operations Squadron commander. 

For instance, although the McChord clinic will administratively realign under Madigan, medical and dental services will continue at their current clinic location. The 12,500 enrolled beneficiaries can expect the same type of services at McChord's clinic after the realignment as they do now. 

One of the challenges of the realignment is determining which 48 personnel slots of the 62nd MDG's current staff of 230 be cut. Positions affected by the cuts will be announced after the MOA is finalized. In the meantime, McChord's medical leadership strives to ensure that their personnel are kept informed on any updates regarding the realignment. 

"Taking care of our people is one of the Air Force Chief of Staff's priorities and the medical staff transition plan has been a focus area during this process," said Maj. Fecke, 62nd Medical Support Squadron resource management flight commander. 

"We have communicated with them frequently over the last year and a half with key medical BRAC updates and engaged flight leadership every step of the way in developing the personnel/ mission transition plan," said Colonel Roehm.
"Synchronizing the mission and transition plans are key to ensuring continued high-quality, patient-focused health care at McChord."