Photo By Robert Shields | Col. (P) Jeffrey J. Johnson addresses the audience during the Brooke Army Medical...... read more read more
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By Elaine Sanchez
Brooke Army Medical Center Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas – Col. (P) Jeffrey J. Johnson assumed command of Brooke Army Medical Center from Col. Evan M. Renz during a ceremony at San Antonio Military Medical Center here today.
Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Tempel Jr., commanding general, Regional Health Command-Central (Provisional), who presided over the ceremony, had high praise for BAMC and Renz’s legacy. “I want you to know the caliber of the organization and command team we are honoring here today,” he told the audience, packed with current and former leaders, family members and BAMC staff.
The general spotlighted just a few of the accolades and honors BAMC earned under Renz’s watch, including a Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval and a first place ranking for overall surgical and medical inpatient satisfaction in the TRICARE inpatient survey. Additionally, the labor and delivery department is the highest-rated facility in the Defense Department for patient satisfaction, he noted.
Speaking directly to Renz, Tempel called his career contributions “immense.” “I hardly know where to begin to describe the 33 years of selfless, devoted service you have provided as a world-renowned physician, a leader and a surgeon,” he said. “You are responsible for countless lives saved whether serving as chief of the Army’s Burn Flight team during our peak years of combat support operations or as senior trauma surgeon and intensivist at the most active combat hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Colonel Renz has touched the lives of so many, in so many ways while he has worn the cloth of our nation,” he added. “He is the epitome of what it means to serve a cause greater cause himself.”
The general thanked Renz’s wife, Diane, and his family for their support and contributions to BAMC, the Region, the Army and the San Antonio community.
Tempel also extended a warm welcome to Johnson and his family, calling the new commander “the right leader at the right time.”
“You have my complete confidence in your skills as a leader … as you assume command of a hospital that is so absolutely vital to this community, the readiness of our military, and the health and resiliency of all entrusted to our care,” he said. “Under your leadership, I’m confident the BAMC healthcare team will continue to excel in its role as a key partner in San Antonio and surrounding communities, the enhanced multi-service market and the entire Military Health System.”
Renz thanked current and former leaders, mission partners, the entire San Antonio community, and the BAMC staff, who he called “fiercely dedicated and compassionate.”
“Thank you, especially to the patients here today, for allowing us to be a small part of your family,” he said.
Renz also expressed his confidence in Johnson to lead BAMC to the “next level of excellence. “His reputation as a skilled and caring leader precedes him,” he said.
Johnson, a board certified fellow in family medicine, is a former commander of Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas, and, most recently, the command surgeon for Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea.
Johnson expressed his excitement to serve at BAMC for the first time among a staff that exemplifies “professionalism, collaboration, innovation and an unwavering sense of duty.”
“I am very excited about what lies ahead,” he said. “BAMC leads the way in patient care, innovation, medical education, readiness and safety. I’m in awe of your many successes – balancing each of these responsibilities while supporting the installation, South Texas and the region.”
Johnson also had a message for the service members, family members and retirees cared for at BAMC. “Know that we will continue to provide you with the quality, compassionate, patient-centered care each one of you deserve,” he said. “We are truly fortunate to serve those who currently are giving and have given so much.”
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2016 21:35 |
| Story ID: | 194249 |
| Location: | FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 433 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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