Keesler med first to transition

KEESLER AFB, Miss. - The 81st Medical Group at Keesler Air Force Base has officially transferred management and administration functions to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) on Oct. 2 in Phase 1 of a transition that will eventually include all Defense Department health care facilities. The Military Health System is conducting the transition in phases. The 81st MDG, along with hospitals and clinics at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.; Joint Base Charleston, S.C.; Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., in addition to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, are all part of Phase 1. The DHA will be responsible for all facilities budgetary matters, information technology, healthcare administration and management, administrative policy and procedure and military medical construction. “We look forward to the opportunity to transform military health care into a more integrated system which will lead to consistent, high-quality health care experiences for our patients,” said Air Force Col. Beatrice T. Dolihite, commander of the 81st MDG. The Keesler Medical Center is the first hospital in the AF to transition. The next phase of integration, which includes hospitals and clinics in the Eastern U.S., should be complete by Oct. 1, 2019. Subsequent phases, which include hospitals and clinics in the West, followed by overseas medical facilities, should be completed by Oct. 1, 2020, and Oct. 1, 2021, respectively. (Source: 81st Training Wing 10/02/18)