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Medically ready for challenges ahead

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt Lisa Ferguson
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AMCNS) --  Air Mobility Command’s Command Surgeon, Brig. Gen. Thomas Loftus, came here Feb. 20 for a site visit and spent time visiting with 43rd Medical Group members.

“Great morale and spirit was witnessed today,” the general said. “I saw a lot of smiles from the workers and lots of patients. I like to see both of those.”

General Loftus said Col. Brenda Bullard had the medical group on a firm footing.

“I’m very impressed with our roadmap for wartime and peacetime missions. Both do very well to maximize our investments,” he said.

He also said the next three to five years will bring challenges to Pope medical servicemembers.

“We’re going to face challenges as BRAC comes to Pope, but also as the Air Force faces a huge drawdown in personnel,” he said. “We need to make sure we match the medical support in the right fashion and that we have the right amount of medical personnel to serve our Air Force population.”

As far as how BRAC will affect Pope, the general said there are benefits to combining our facilities and resources with other branches of service.

“It’s much more efficient to consolidate our facilities and it’s our job to make sure no one falls through the cracks. Depending on where you live, you may receive care from the Army, Navy or Marines.”

One way to help ensure no one falls through the cracks is electronic medical records.

“These will become the new standard,” he said. “How great would it be if your doctor at your deployed location could punch up your records on his computer to ensure he or she understands your unique medical situation? Having timely, accurate information is well worth the effort to get where we need to be with achieving electronic medical records.”

All in all, the general was impressed and pleased with the medical Airmen at Pope.

“One of the real positives of my job is being able to get out there and see how hard our people are working,” General Loftus said. “Medical personnel are service-oriented folks and to see them out there smiling and working hard does good things for my morale and energy level. This is a really great group of Airmen.”