Initial Outfitting and Transition program equips Fort Hood hospital

The April 3 opening of the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center (CRDAMC) at Fort Hood, Texas signaled the completion of a U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville project to equip and transition staff to the new facility.

The Huntsville Center Initial Outfitting and Transition program, which has played a major role in equipping the new hospital over the last four years, awarded the $90 million Fort Hood IO&T services and equipment procurement contract to Military Healthcare Outfitting and Transition (MilHOT) in 2012.

Huntsville Center and MilHOT have continuously worked together with the U.S. Army Health Facility Planning Agency and CRDAMC leadership to provide complete turn-key project support for the equipping and transitioning of staff and patients into the new hospital, said Wes Johnson, IO&T program manager.

“This support included ‘day in the life’ training exercises for the hospital medical staff, concept of operations development, move guide plans, and procurement, delivery, and installation of over 30,000 new items to support patient care in the new facility,” Johnson said.

Two full-scale “day in the life” rehearsals in February and March allowed staff to practice health-care delivery scenarios, which became very useful on day one when the first baby was born within one hour of opening the new hospital.

Johnson received positive feedback from CRDAMC personnel after the move was complete. One hospital staffer who has made four hospital moves during her career, said both the movers and the Information Technology crew were the most professional she had experienced. 

“This is a testament to the work put in by Gladston Hall and Brian Bezilla who both served as Huntsville Center project managers (PMs) for this effort,” Johnson said. “The daily communication that our PMs and contracting team had with MilHOT and the HFPA team onsite was tremendous throughout the project. The value of that communication became evident when critical equipment and outfitting issues were quickly resolved during the last few weeks leading up to Sunday’s hospital opening.”

Some of the new equipment outfitted at the hospital was ophthalmology equipment, hospital beds, stretchers, exam tables, cystoscopes, operating microscopes, a Radiology Imaging System, endoscopes and furniture.

“Our mission is to provide quality, safe, patient-centered care every day,” said Col. Mark Thompson, hospital commander. “We do great work at the current facility, but the new one gives us a great opportunity to work in an updated environment that only stands to benefit the Fort Hood Soldiers, Family members and retirees we serve.” 

Roughly 60 percent larger than the previous hospital, the new facility is almost 1 million square feet and encompasses six floors.  

Several departments gained significant space including the Emergency Department, which expanded from 26 patient beds to 58 patient beds with an additional six beds available for triage.