Army Surgeon General joins military medical leaders to discuss of future of military medicine

Photo By Ronald Wolf | Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle joined other top military medical leaders at the 129th annual meeting of AMSUS—The Society of Federal Health Professionals during the week of Dec. 6-10, 2020. For Army Medicine, the medical readiness of the Army is the highest priority. “We will always be responsive to the demands” of the Nation, Dingle said.  

MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

12.17.2020

Story by Ronald Wolf 

U.S. Army Medical Command

National Harbor, Md.—Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle joined other top military medical leaders at the 129th annual meeting of AMSUS—The Society of Federal Health Professionals during the week of Dec. 6-10, 2020. The theme of the meeting was Federal Health: A Global Vision Beginning in Your Community.

Dingle joined other leaders during a panel session on the future of Military Health System on Dec. 7. The entire meeting was held virtually to provide safe conditions and protect participants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The panel was moderated by the Hon. Thomas McCaffrey, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. In addition to Dingle, participants included the following:

-- Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham – US Navy Surgeon General;
-- Lt. Gen. Ronald Place – Director, Defense Health Agency;
-- Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs – Joint Staff Surgeon, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;
-- Richard W. Thomas – President, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences;
-- Maj. Gen. Sean L. Murphy – Deputy Surgeon General of the U.S. Air Force;
-- Lt. Gen. Dorothy A. Hogg – U.S. Air Force Surgeon General

Overall topics included the future of the Military Health System, continued transition to administrative management of military medical treatment facilities to the Defense Health Agency, maintaining military medical readiness while ensuring national security, the COVID-19 response, and other challenges military medical leaders are facing.

Medical readiness of the Army is and will continue to be the primary focus for Army Medicine.

“Our priority will always be readiness,” Dingle said. Readiness includes everything from recruiting, organizing, training, equipment, and making sure that all those health care professionals are ready to deploy to support tomorrow’s battle, he said.

In addition to readiness, Dingle discussed Army Medicine reform and reorganization. As Army Medicine reforms and reorganizes, there will be no impact to the installation or health care services, he said. Army Medicine Soldiers and beneficiaries “will still get world class care, world class medical response.”

“We will always be responsive to the demands” of the Nation, Dingle said. “COVID-19 is a perfect example of how the whole-of-government approach” worked, he said. “We responded with Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force, the augmentation of the Soldiers at HHS or anywhere within the requirement of our government,” Dingle said.

Dingle also said that Army Medicine would remain relevant, which means responsive to senior local commanders, warfighters, and our Army leadership. Army Medicine will continue to respond to demands of Army leadership anywhere in the world whenever called upon.

• Date Taken: 12.17.2020
• Date Posted: 12.30.2020 12:59
• Story ID: 385194
• Location: MARYLAND, US