Photo By Richard Komurek | BRUSSELS, Belgium – Jeff Gliedman, interim deputy garrison manager for USAG...... read more read more
BRUSSELS, Belgium – Jeff Gliedman, interim deputy garrison manager for USAG Benelux in Brussels, along with Stacy Perez, the director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (FMWR); Lt. Col. Keithbarry Garcia, the officer-in-charge of the Brussels Health Clinic; Lt. Col. Everett Zachary, the garrison chaplain; Dr. Oliver Freeman, director of Human Resources and Lt. Col. Reginald Moise, the director of Emergency Services, hosted a town hall at 4 p.m. March 20 at the Brussels Unit School at Sterrebeek Annex.
The hybrid town hall permitted garrison leaders and community members to come together both in person and online to share information and answer questions about support and services provided to the Brussels military community.
Community Update- Jeffrey Gliedman, interim Brussels deputy garrison manager
Gliedman welcomed town hall attendees and thanked them on behalf of Col. Patrick Hofmann, the garrison commander, for attending in person and online. He then gave a brief update regarding garrison operations in Brussels.
Gliedman started by saying that despite recent changes in the U.S. government and personnel actions at some agencies of the federal workforce, there have been no significant changes in the services provided in Brussels and no garrison jobs have been lost to personnel reductions.
Gliedman explained that there is currently a hiring freeze which impacts the garrison and a number of positions have not been filled and the garrison is seeking exceptions to policy to try and onboard personnel. One position that was filled is a member of the 266th Financial Management Center, who has arrived to assist Army military members with pay issues.
For Brussels consolidation efforts on Brussels main, Gliedman provided the following updates:
The plan for moving the Brussels gym from Building 3 into the site of the old 3 Star Recreation Center is expected in May, but it may slip to June.
The gym will not close until it’s ready to move, so it is still open at the current location with 24-hour access. When it’s time for the gym to move it will probably be closed for two or three days.
Personnel who work in Building 3, will move to Building 2 or Building 4 as planned in May. The exact date has not been determined.
Gliedman said that when it comes to future plans for the Brussels consolidation and move from Brussels Main to Sterrebeek Annex, the plan is still dependent on funding. If the funding is not approved, then garrison staff will stay at Brussels Main and leadership will continue to request funds and revise plans accordingly.
Gliedman also outlined future construction at the Brussels Unit School on Sterrebeek Annex that will take place from 2026 to 2029 and said garrison leaders are coordinating with Army Corps of Engineers to ensure construction is done smartly, safely and with minimal impact to students.
Some upcoming Brussels events are:
- April 25: Brussels Annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony, 1 p.m. at the Community Conference Room, Brussels Main.
- April 26: Brussels Consignment Shop Flea Market- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., open to all U.S. and NATO ID cardholders.
- May 3: Daddy-Daughter dance hosted by the American Legion in Building 2 Community Conference Room, Brussels Main.
Col. Everett Zachary- Religious Services
Zachary gave an overview of past and present religious support provided to the Brussels community and acknowledged that COVID-19 had a significant impact on religious services across the Benelux. Since the pandemic, the number of people seeking religious services in Brussels dropped dramatically and around a year ago it was decided to sunset Protestant services in Brussels and continue with Catholic services only. Zachary said they will continue to monitor requests for support to see if there is a need for additional services.
Zachary highlighted the following religious services that are provided by volunteers in the Community Conference Room in Bldg. 2 of Brussels Main:
Monday
- Coffee Moms 10:30 a.m.
- Middle School Bible Study 5 p.m.
Wednesday
- New Moms Group 10 a.m.
- Youth Bible Study 5 p.m.
Thursday
- Adult Bible Study 7 p.m.
Friday
- Women's Bible Study 10 a.m.
- Food for Life Bible Study 11:30 a.m. (1st and 3rd Sundays)
Zachary said the Chaplain Corps is short of chaplains, but there is the option of utilizing a volunteer Designated Faith Group leader to provide additional religious support for Brussels. A qualified Brussels community member is in the process of becoming a designated Faith group leader and in the next weeks additional religious services are planned for the Brussels Community Conference Room. Zachary explained that the volunteer leader would be the lead pastor for Brussels with oversight by the chaplains at Chièvres Air Base.
Zachary ended his remarks by telling the Brussels community that support from the Catholic priest at SHAPE is available by request and that information about Chapel services and special services during the holidays is available at https://home.army.mil/benelux/about/Garrison/religious-support and on the garrison’s social media pages.
Stacy Perez, FMWR
Before highlighting some upcoming events, Perez encouraged the community follow the garrison’s Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In social media pages and use the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux website to find information about all the activities provided by FMWR.
Perez stressed the need for additional volunteer coaches and explained FMWR can offer more activities for the Brussels community if more volunteer coaches become available. She also highlighted that Army Community Services can register people to become a volunteers and can also assist with training for those who are new to coaching.
Perez also discussed the Interactive Customer Evaluation system (ICE) and encouraged community members to provide feedback about FMWR services. She also suggested that people provide their contact details when using ICE so garrison leaders can reach out for additional information.
Perez highlighted the following upcoming FMWR events:
- April 11 - CYS Purple Up Run
- April 19 - Eggstravaganza egg hunt and games from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- April 26 - Mommy and Daddy 101, 12 p.m. at Army Community Services
For more information on Brussels FMWR activities visit https://brussels.armymwr.com.
Lt. Col. Keith Garcia, Brussels Health Clinic
Garcia spoke about staffing challenges and the proactive steps the Brussels Health Clinic is taking to navigate those challenges. With the hiring freeze, there will be more shortages due to staff turnover and hiring delays. However, a new radiologist and medic are expected in May and the clinic is coordinating with the SHAPE Healthcare Facility and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to receive nursing support on a rotational basis. Clinic staff are also working to optimize medical appointment time slots and ensure all slots are utilized effectively with no lost appointments.
To ensure timely care, Garcia advised patients schedule appointments in advance for essential services such as routine blood pressure checks and pregnancy tests. He also recommended for parents to schedule annual child physicals early in the months of April and May.
Regarding the Brussels Dental Clinic, Garcia said there will be reduction of operations due to permanent change of station of the only dentist assigned to the clinic. Beginning April 1st, dental clinic operations will be reduced to two days a week for dental readiness and space available care will no longer be scheduled. Dental cleanings and routine dental care such as fillings, crowns and extractions need to be scheduled at the Shape Dental Clinic due to space limitations.
Garcia also provided the following updates regarding clinic operations and network care:
Physical Health Assessment rodeos for active-duty members will be held April 7th and 18th. For more information and updates about clinic hours and services visit the Brussels Happenings web page at https://home.army.mil/benelux/my-fort/happenings/brussels.
The clinic continues to coordinate with network providers to receive healthcare records in a timely manner, but requests must go through International SOS can take up to a month.
Patients can proactively assist with their healthcare by retrieving their own medical records through the Mynexushealth portal. This portal will give patients access to their medical records from Belgian providers and give the option to share records access with the medical team at the Brussels health Clinic. For more information about the portal and mobile app visit https://www.nexuzhealth.com/en/patients.
For more assistance with the Mynexushealth portal or questions about network healthcare contact the Brussels clinic patient liaison at michael.g.vandriessche.ln@health.mil or audrey.m.geldhof.ln@health.mil.
The medical center in Wezembeek-Oppem no longer accepts Tricare Prime patients for routine care. However, Tricare Prime members can still go to the medical center’s emergency room to receive urgent care treatment.
The Brussels Health Clinic cannot provide urgent care. Community members worried about loss of limb, eyesight or life should call 112 or visit the nearest emergency room. For Tricare Prime beneficiaries, it is recommended to notify the health clinic of any emergency room visits as soon as possible before bills are received for care.
Personnel arriving and departing the Brussels community are reminded to in-process and out-process with the Tricare Service Center. Failure to properly in-process or out-process can lead to gaps in healthcare coverage.
The clinic is working with Tricare and International SOS to provide patients with information updates about appointments made with host nation network providers. Please ensure the clinic has your correct e-mail address.
The clinic seeks patient cooperation to prevent missed appointments, which impacts availability of care for other patients and can incur additional costs. Some network providers charge up to 600 Euros for missed appointments with charges going to a collection agency. If patients cannot make an appointment with a network provider, they should contact the Brussels Health Clinic to reschedule.
Garcia emphasized that clinic staff stand ready to serve the needs of the Brussels community and encouraged members to contact the clinic for healthcare questions or to provide feedback.
Dr. Oliver Freeman, Human Resources
Freeman explained that the hiring freeze has impacted the garrison’s ability to fill the Brussels position for passport services, so personnel from Brunssum and SHAPE are helping to provide support for Brussels services. Freeman also encouraged community members to use ICE comments to give garrison leaders feedback, positive or negative.
Collette Tate, Brussels Unit School
Tate said that the school is not impacted by the hiring freeze and they will have a full staff for the start of the new school year in August.
Shawn Ticho, Child and Youth Services
Ticho reminded community members that April is Month of the Military Child and encouraged everyone to wear purple on Fridays throughout April to recognize military children.
Ticho also highlighted the following CYS events for April:
- April 9 - Purple Up at the Brussels Unit School. Community members will meet at the school at 7:45 a.m. to welcome students.
- April 25 to 26 - Operation Megaphone- Brussels youths will stay on Brussels Main overnight and meet online with other youths from CYS programs worldwide to discuss key issues affecting military children.
Kristin Savage, Public Affairs
Savage provided an update that Make-A-Wish is happening on SHAPE from 4 p.m. June 6 to 4 p.m. June 7 for 24 hours of fun activities for kids and food from the different nations at SHAPE. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/USECOonSHAPE/
Town Hall Questions and Answers
Q1. What is the update regarding the creation of a community room that we can use in place of the 3 Star Recreation Facility?
A1. The garrison, together with the Department of Defense Activity (DODEA) Europe West District office, has recently opened a conference room here on Sterrebeek Annex. We will confirm the procedures for requesting use of the room with DODEA and inform the community through the public affairs office.
Q2. Are ACS resources available for civilian employees?
A2. Yes, absolutely!
Q3. How long are CYS medical physicals valid?
A3. Medical physicals for CYS sports are valid one year. CYS care physicals are valid for three years.
Q4. Are medical records from UZ Leuven automatically transferred to MHS Genesis?
A4. Yes, but it can take some time, up to four weeks. This is why we recommend patients to sign up for the Mynexushealth portal and enable their records to be shared from the Belgian provider to the Brussels Health Clinic, which is a much faster process.
Q5. Will the garrison support the 4th of July this year?
A5. Yes, the Benelux will partner with the SHAPE Base Support Group for the July 4th celebration at SHAPE starting at 3 p.m. and ending with fireworks. The garrison will also celebrate Independence Day in Brunssum as well.
The next Brussels Town Hall is planned for June 12 at 4 p.m.
| Date Taken: | 03.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.27.2025 06:43 |
| Story ID: | 493829 |
| Location: | BRUXELLES-CAPITALE, RéGION DE (FR), BRUSSELS HOOFDSTEDELIJK GEWEST (NL), BE |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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