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CRDAMC opens West Fort Hood Health Clinic

Mar 05

By Vickey Mouze (Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center)

FORT HOOD, Texas – The cutting of a ceremonial yellow ribbon at the new Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center’s West Fort Hood Health Clinic Tuesday, March 3 is the realization of a dream discussed ten years ago, according to guest speaker Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, III Corps and Fort Hood commander.

Then and until recently, two clinics, the Troop Medical Clinic #10 and Copperas Cove Family Health Center, had served the health needs of West Fort Hood. “Ten years ago, somebody said, ‘we have to figure out how to make this better.’ This new clinic is the result of that thought ten years ago and a reality today,” Lynch said. “When you walk into the new clinic, you will see just how great the Great Place truly is.”

Lynch said that by combining the two facilities into one, the WFHHC facility is “30,000 square feet of pure, high class medical care. We’ve got an opportunity to enroll 17,000 folks out here at this health clinic of which only about 8,200 are currently enrolled. So we’ve got growth opportunities here.

“This is magnificent, just magnificent, so it’s a tribute to everybody,” Lynch said. “There’s $9.7 million dollars invested in this facility and staffed with the best that we’ve got to take care of the best that you have which is our Soldiers and Family members.”

Lynch then thanked the clinic staff of their service. “You truly focus on taking care of our Soldiers and their Families,” he said. All the feedback I get from out here is all very positive. And that’s a tribute to you all.”

After the ceremony, Lt. Col. James Geracci, chief of the department of family and community medicine and officer in charge of the WFHHC, led a tour through the clinic. He told the tour group that besides increasing patient capacity, the new clinic offers more services. “We are a full-service clinic,” Geracci said. “We have services here that weren’t provided at either TMC #10 or Copperas Cove. And that really is what makes us the most proud.”

The WFHHC offers radiology, pathology, and pharmacy support, chiropractic, optometry, audiology services, and aviation medicine.

Geracci compared the full-service care offered at the clinic to that available in the civilian community. Using a story about helping his grandmother with her doctor’s appointment, he said that they spent a lot of time traveling to and from the doctor’s office to get lab work, X-rays and medications. “And all that made me realize just how good we have it,” he said.

“Here, the longest walk our patients have is just down the hallway and then to the lab, X-ray, pharmacy, audiology, or the chiropractor,” Geracci said. “All those services are included in this facility, and you usually don’t see that except at big medical facilities. This is just a phenomenal facility.”

About 75 personnel staff the clinic. That includes family physicians, pediatricians, flight surgeons, nurse practitioners, aeoromedical physician assistants and physician assistants to support family medicine. “They are all dedicated to providing full service care,” Geracci said. “This is great feeling for us to be able to do that.”

The clinic is located in Building 94043 on the corner of Clarke Road and Loop Road. The population of beneficiaries includes the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, some 1st Cavalry Division units, other III Corps support function units, their Family members and all other Family members living within the West Fort Hood area.