1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:08,319 --> 00:00:10,652 For those in the poor product community , 3 00:00:10,652 --> 00:00:12,875 sir , who may not be familiar with your 4 00:00:12,875 --> 00:00:14,875 role , can you tell us a little bit 5 00:00:14,875 --> 00:00:16,652 about what the acting assistant 6 00:00:16,652 --> 00:00:18,875 secretary of defense for health affairs 7 00:00:18,875 --> 00:00:21,069 does and then secondly what brings you 8 00:00:21,069 --> 00:00:25,000 here to Fort B for ? Sure , the 9 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,944 assistant secretary of Defense for 10 00:00:26,944 --> 00:00:29,760 Health Affairs is the best way to put 11 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,360 it is the CEO or Chief executive 12 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,582 officer of the military health system . 13 00:00:34,582 --> 00:00:36,416 I'm the principal adviser to the 14 00:00:36,416 --> 00:00:38,582 Secretary of Defense for all . related 15 00:00:38,582 --> 00:00:40,638 to healthcare in the military health 16 00:00:40,638 --> 00:00:42,749 system , be it healthcare delivery at 17 00:00:42,749 --> 00:00:44,638 our MTFs , and also including the 18 00:00:44,638 --> 00:00:46,638 operational environment . The , the 19 00:00:46,638 --> 00:00:48,638 biggest area that people know about 20 00:00:48,638 --> 00:00:51,603 that , the ASDHA has purview over is 21 00:00:51,603 --> 00:00:54,283 the DHA . So the Defense Health Agency , 22 00:00:54,323 --> 00:00:57,573 which is the organization that now runs 23 00:00:57,573 --> 00:00:59,240 all of our military treatment 24 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,943 facilities . So in this regard , uh , 25 00:01:02,132 --> 00:01:04,373 I'm really what I consider to be the 26 00:01:04,373 --> 00:01:07,386 person who sets the vision . Makes 27 00:01:07,805 --> 00:01:10,625 budgetary decisions and personnel 28 00:01:10,625 --> 00:01:12,514 decisions related to the military 29 00:01:12,514 --> 00:01:15,225 health system . And importantly for our 30 00:01:15,225 --> 00:01:18,026 folks in the field is one of the most 31 00:01:18,026 --> 00:01:20,082 important roles I have is I feel I'm 32 00:01:20,082 --> 00:01:22,475 their voice . So that's a big reason . 33 00:01:22,505 --> 00:01:24,561 Your second part of your question of 34 00:01:24,561 --> 00:01:26,505 why am I here at Fort Riley . It's 35 00:01:26,505 --> 00:01:28,616 really important for me to get to the 36 00:01:28,616 --> 00:01:30,838 deck plate , to get to where people are 37 00:01:30,838 --> 00:01:32,561 doing the work , so that I can 38 00:01:32,561 --> 00:01:34,616 understand . I find that each site , 39 00:01:34,616 --> 00:01:36,838 whether it's a hospital or whether it's 40 00:01:36,838 --> 00:01:38,505 an operational unit . Um , is 41 00:01:38,505 --> 00:01:40,449 incredibly unique . It has its own 42 00:01:40,449 --> 00:01:42,561 mission , it has its own texture , so 43 00:01:42,561 --> 00:01:44,672 to speak . Uh , and so getting out to 44 00:01:44,672 --> 00:01:46,505 where the work is done is really 45 00:01:46,505 --> 00:01:48,505 invaluable to be able to help drive 46 00:01:48,505 --> 00:01:50,394 decision making , find out things 47 00:01:50,394 --> 00:01:52,727 people need or resources , helping them , 48 00:01:52,727 --> 00:01:54,930 uh , succeed . And because my number 49 00:01:54,930 --> 00:01:57,041 one priority and folks who You know , 50 00:01:57,041 --> 00:01:59,152 heard me speak before , see what I've 51 00:01:59,152 --> 00:02:01,208 written , um , is our support to the 52 00:02:01,208 --> 00:02:03,319 warfighter and is his readiness . And 53 00:02:03,319 --> 00:02:05,430 so those are the things that I really 54 00:02:05,430 --> 00:02:05,154 want to do to help , uh , you know , 55 00:02:05,214 --> 00:02:07,855 every site succeed and actually every 56 00:02:07,855 --> 00:02:10,077 member of the military health system to 57 00:02:10,077 --> 00:02:12,133 maximize their potential . So that's 58 00:02:12,133 --> 00:02:14,214 why I'm here at Fort Riley , because 59 00:02:14,214 --> 00:02:16,214 it's a really important part of our 60 00:02:16,214 --> 00:02:18,325 mission . Um , you know , the , the , 61 00:02:18,325 --> 00:02:20,330 the first division is incredibly 62 00:02:20,330 --> 00:02:22,990 important to the , to the army and to 63 00:02:22,990 --> 00:02:25,509 our , our national security . So how we 64 00:02:25,509 --> 00:02:28,029 can support the healthcare here in 65 00:02:28,029 --> 00:02:30,710 rural Kansas is really important . So 66 00:02:30,710 --> 00:02:32,821 I'm here to find out what I can do to 67 00:02:32,821 --> 00:02:34,990 help make them the best hospital they 68 00:02:34,990 --> 00:02:36,823 can be to support this mission . 69 00:02:42,110 --> 00:02:44,332 When you're back at the Pentagon , uh , 70 00:02:44,509 --> 00:02:46,731 information that comes to you is always 71 00:02:46,731 --> 00:02:48,839 highly curated , highly filtered . 72 00:02:48,990 --> 00:02:50,879 That's the nature of such a large 73 00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:52,990 organization like ours . We take care 74 00:02:52,990 --> 00:02:54,879 of 9.5 million beneficiaries in a 75 00:02:54,879 --> 00:02:57,320 worldwide healthcare system . So when 76 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,431 we look at , say , you know , I don't 77 00:02:59,431 --> 00:03:01,487 like to think of Fort Riley or Irwin 78 00:03:01,487 --> 00:03:04,160 Army Community Hospital as a line on a 79 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,509 spreadsheet or a slide on a PowerPoint , 80 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:08,600 I want to see the work that's being 81 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,711 done . So it's a complex organization 82 00:03:10,711 --> 00:03:13,044 here . Uh , so to be able to understand , 83 00:03:13,044 --> 00:03:14,989 I know they have a big mission for 84 00:03:15,119 --> 00:03:17,720 obstetrics and gynecology , so how we 85 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:19,942 can make sure they're optimizing that . 86 00:03:19,942 --> 00:03:22,053 Um , healthcare for military families 87 00:03:22,053 --> 00:03:24,276 is one of the most important things for 88 00:03:24,276 --> 00:03:26,498 recruitment and retention , but also It 89 00:03:26,498 --> 00:03:28,720 is really critical to ensuring that our 90 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:30,776 soldiers are able to stay focused on 91 00:03:30,776 --> 00:03:32,942 their mission when they know that they 92 00:03:32,942 --> 00:03:32,888 or their family are getting high 93 00:03:32,888 --> 00:03:35,688 quality healthcare . So I want to make 94 00:03:35,688 --> 00:03:38,248 sure that I , again , that I'm able to 95 00:03:38,248 --> 00:03:40,581 help support that in every possible way . 96 00:03:40,581 --> 00:03:42,692 This is a beautiful facility . It's a 97 00:03:42,692 --> 00:03:44,470 brand new facility . We want to 98 00:03:44,470 --> 00:03:46,470 maximize the use of it . That is my 99 00:03:46,470 --> 00:03:48,807 absolute priority . So , it's helpful 100 00:03:48,807 --> 00:03:50,807 for me to come here because again , 101 00:03:50,807 --> 00:03:53,167 there's some texture that's lost in 102 00:03:53,167 --> 00:03:55,535 translation . Between the deck plate , 103 00:03:55,735 --> 00:03:58,475 I'm a former Navy guy , so excuse the 104 00:03:58,475 --> 00:04:00,697 jargon . Between the deck plate and the 105 00:04:00,697 --> 00:04:03,055 Pentagon , there can be a gap . So I 106 00:04:03,055 --> 00:04:05,222 think there's no substitute for coming 107 00:04:05,222 --> 00:04:07,055 here and talking not only to the 108 00:04:07,055 --> 00:04:09,166 leadership team here , but the people 109 00:04:09,166 --> 00:04:11,166 doing the work , the soldiers , the 110 00:04:11,166 --> 00:04:13,388 doctors , nurses , technologists at the 111 00:04:13,388 --> 00:04:15,166 front lines of doing the work . 112 00:04:18,395 --> 00:04:21,205 Because what the community wants is 113 00:04:21,216 --> 00:04:23,743 access to high quality time . state of 114 00:04:23,743 --> 00:04:25,910 the art health care for their families 115 00:04:25,910 --> 00:04:28,343 and for , for themselves . And so 116 00:04:28,544 --> 00:04:30,655 that's what they want and that's what 117 00:04:30,655 --> 00:04:32,822 they're , it's a fair expectation that 118 00:04:32,822 --> 00:04:34,711 they have that they'll be able to 119 00:04:34,711 --> 00:04:36,766 receive that . Um , and so I want to 120 00:04:36,766 --> 00:04:35,903 tell them that I'm committed to 121 00:04:35,903 --> 00:04:37,792 ensuring that they have that . So 122 00:04:37,792 --> 00:04:39,736 that's first and foremost . I know 123 00:04:39,736 --> 00:04:41,792 that's a big reason why , you know , 124 00:04:41,792 --> 00:04:43,847 people have choices and people , not 125 00:04:43,847 --> 00:04:45,959 only is it a readiness factor to make 126 00:04:45,959 --> 00:04:48,181 sure our soldiers are ready to deploy , 127 00:04:48,181 --> 00:04:48,104 I always say they have to be ready to 128 00:04:48,104 --> 00:04:50,271 fight tonight . It's an important part 129 00:04:50,271 --> 00:04:52,271 of our mission to make sure That we 130 00:04:52,271 --> 00:04:54,312 have a medically ready force . But 131 00:04:54,312 --> 00:04:56,312 again , for those family members to 132 00:04:56,312 --> 00:04:58,423 make sure again that those soldiers , 133 00:04:58,423 --> 00:05:00,479 their families , their children have 134 00:05:00,479 --> 00:05:02,701 the care they need , so if they go down 135 00:05:02,701 --> 00:05:04,868 range , they know that their family is 136 00:05:04,868 --> 00:05:06,812 in excellent hands . And then that 137 00:05:06,812 --> 00:05:08,812 leads right into my message for the 138 00:05:08,812 --> 00:05:11,145 staff here at the hospital is their job , 139 00:05:11,191 --> 00:05:13,358 it's , it's really a matter of trust . 140 00:05:13,358 --> 00:05:15,842 It's the compact that we form with 141 00:05:15,842 --> 00:05:17,953 those families and with those service 142 00:05:17,953 --> 00:05:20,120 members that we will deliver on that . 143 00:05:20,339 --> 00:05:22,506 I just made to them . And so that they 144 00:05:22,506 --> 00:05:24,561 have the resources and the resources 145 00:05:24,561 --> 00:05:26,450 mean the people , the money , the 146 00:05:26,450 --> 00:05:28,672 equipment , the supplies that they need 147 00:05:28,672 --> 00:05:30,561 to be able to , to carry out that 148 00:05:30,561 --> 00:05:32,880 mission . And so coming here uh really 149 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,670 helps me figure out where the gaps are , 150 00:05:35,869 --> 00:05:38,200 um , what are some creative solutions 151 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,459 we can do . I think everyone , and I , 152 00:05:40,559 --> 00:05:42,781 I'm always inspired also when I come to 153 00:05:42,781 --> 00:05:45,200 places because this is a resource 154 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,320 constrained environment that's not a 155 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:49,542 mystery to anyone , it's not a Secret . 156 00:05:49,847 --> 00:05:52,488 So what I'm always impressed by is 157 00:05:52,488 --> 00:05:55,877 people's ability to uh innovate 158 00:05:55,877 --> 00:05:59,687 and to adapt and to , to solve 159 00:05:59,687 --> 00:06:02,488 problems either through sweat equity or 160 00:06:02,488 --> 00:06:04,768 through great ideas . And so to come 161 00:06:04,768 --> 00:06:07,208 and figure out how I can help do those 162 00:06:07,208 --> 00:06:09,430 and not only help them execute on their 163 00:06:09,430 --> 00:06:11,764 plans , but when they do best practices , 164 00:06:11,764 --> 00:06:13,875 share those with other places because 165 00:06:13,875 --> 00:06:16,041 we're all in this together . This is a 166 00:06:16,041 --> 00:06:18,097 giant team sport across the military 167 00:06:18,097 --> 00:06:20,319 health system . A few folks here at the 168 00:06:20,319 --> 00:06:22,319 hospital are anxious about what the 169 00:06:22,319 --> 00:06:24,375 future holds for IAC , especially in 170 00:06:24,375 --> 00:06:26,541 light of the broader challenges across 171 00:06:26,541 --> 00:06:28,708 the Defense Health Agency . What would 172 00:06:28,708 --> 00:06:30,750 you say to reassure this , reassure 173 00:06:30,750 --> 00:06:32,917 those who might be feeling uncertain ? 174 00:06:33,309 --> 00:06:34,976 Yeah , I , I understand their 175 00:06:34,976 --> 00:06:37,087 uncertainty and that's another reason 176 00:06:37,087 --> 00:06:39,253 why I'm here is because I want them to 177 00:06:39,253 --> 00:06:41,476 be able to ask me the hard questions so 178 00:06:41,476 --> 00:06:43,531 they can hear it from me of why we , 179 00:06:43,531 --> 00:06:45,309 you know , uh , how we make the 180 00:06:45,309 --> 00:06:47,476 decisions we make . And , uh , first , 181 00:06:47,476 --> 00:06:49,587 I , you know , want to tell them that 182 00:06:49,587 --> 00:06:51,420 it's part of my fiduciary and my 183 00:06:51,420 --> 00:06:53,587 leadership responses . Ability to look 184 00:06:53,587 --> 00:06:53,554 at all of our places . I don't just 185 00:06:53,554 --> 00:06:55,721 look at IA , I look at everywhere from 186 00:06:55,721 --> 00:06:58,635 Brooke Army Medical Center to Weed Army 187 00:06:58,635 --> 00:07:01,095 Community Hospital at Fort Irwin , um , 188 00:07:01,114 --> 00:07:03,475 to make sure that we are doing , we are 189 00:07:03,475 --> 00:07:05,308 managing our resources and we're 190 00:07:05,308 --> 00:07:07,253 managing our mission as well as we 191 00:07:07,253 --> 00:07:09,890 possibly can . To me , The , the 192 00:07:09,890 --> 00:07:12,359 definition of success for a hospital is 193 00:07:12,359 --> 00:07:14,369 a busy hospital doing high volume , 194 00:07:14,410 --> 00:07:16,609 high complexity care . And I want all 195 00:07:16,609 --> 00:07:19,489 of our , all of our MTFs to succeed and 196 00:07:19,489 --> 00:07:23,250 including , and especially IAC . So my 197 00:07:23,250 --> 00:07:25,565 goal is to Figure out how can I make 198 00:07:25,565 --> 00:07:28,605 IAC even more successful . That is the 199 00:07:28,605 --> 00:07:31,005 reason I'm here . Um , it's , and I 200 00:07:31,005 --> 00:07:32,949 know people talk about where we're 201 00:07:32,949 --> 00:07:34,894 going to downsize and so forth . I 202 00:07:34,894 --> 00:07:37,116 don't want to downsize IA . That that's 203 00:07:37,116 --> 00:07:39,338 not my goal , but I want to make sure . 204 00:07:39,559 --> 00:07:41,615 That they're getting enough sets and 205 00:07:41,615 --> 00:07:44,010 reps so that if God forbid , they have 206 00:07:44,010 --> 00:07:45,954 to do what our military healthcare 207 00:07:45,954 --> 00:07:48,121 mission is , which is to support , you 208 00:07:48,121 --> 00:07:50,343 know , service members downrange , that 209 00:07:50,343 --> 00:07:53,619 they have , they feel as , as ready as 210 00:07:53,619 --> 00:07:55,619 they need to be that they've been . 211 00:07:55,619 --> 00:07:57,675 Active inpatient care that they've , 212 00:07:57,720 --> 00:07:59,887 you know , whether you're a surgeon or 213 00:07:59,887 --> 00:08:01,831 whether you're a technologist , or 214 00:08:01,831 --> 00:08:01,160 whether you're a nurse , that you've 215 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:03,327 been doing those , that patient care , 216 00:08:03,359 --> 00:08:05,692 that high complexity , high volume work , 217 00:08:05,692 --> 00:08:08,359 that's going to make you ready uh to be 218 00:08:08,359 --> 00:08:10,581 able to take care of uh soldiers on the 219 00:08:10,581 --> 00:08:11,170 battlefield .