HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Bedford VA Healthcare System leaders visited the 66th Medical Squadron here for a tour and leadership briefing earlier this month.
Col. Jorge Jimenez, installation commander, invited the Bedford Veterans Affairs team to meet with MDS to discuss partnership opportunities between the two organizations.
“We appreciate the great relationship we have with the Bedford VA,” Jimenez said. “They deliver healthcare to our veterans and our the 66th Medical Squadron here ensures we have healthy, mission-ready Airmen. These parallel missions offer many opportunities for collaboration.”
The installation commander and VA director meet quarterly to discuss topics of mutual interest and to identify opportunities for cooperation.
“It’s wonderful to collaborate with our DoD partners here,” said Kevin Forrest, Bedford VA interim director. “It’s always good when we can look at taking care of the active-duty side and the retired side and combining forces to provide better healthcare and better services to our veterans.”
Following an installation overview briefing, the group met with 66 MDS leaders and toured the Hanscom Clinic.
The clinic is an ambulatory, outpatient military treatment facility serving approximately 125,000 active duty and retired military personnel across New England and New York. The clinic provides care for an average of 2,949 patients each month.
“This visit from the Beford VA is very helpful,” said Col. Nicole Garris, 66 MDS commander. “We’ve had partnerships with the VA in the past and we want to continue to keep moving forward.”
The focus of the clinic is primary care and preventative medicine. Services include dental, optometry, pediatrics, mental health, limited gynecology and radiology. Due to the clinic’s size, most specialty care and invasive procedures are referred out to the local medical community.
“It’s quite an opportunity to share what our capabilities are and how to partner to ensure that we’re taking care of our dual beneficiaries,” said Garris. “We are committed to operational readiness, outstanding customer service, and always delivering world-class health care.”