Army, Air Force unite to provide healthcare

(Lt. Col. Melody Quesenberry, U.S. Army, is a senior nurse case manager with the Warrior Transition Unit at Ft. Richardson, Alaska.)

Since the Warrior Transition Unit's (WTU) beginning in June 2007, I've been working with the 3rd Medical Group at Elmendorf Air Force Base to provide the best care possible for our Wounded Warriors. The WTU at Fort Richardson has no organic medical specialty assets, so we rely on 3MG for these services to the complex medical needs of our Wounded Warrior population. This partnership has far exceeded standard working relationships among the services.

The two Commanders in place during the stand-up of our unit have both been extremely supportive of our mission and have ensured that the 3rd Med Group assists the WTU in caring for our Soldiers and meeting enhanced access to care standards.

The WTU cadre and Soldiers are met with cooperation and accommodation with all requests. We see every member of 3rd Med Group from administrative offices to ancillary services. We also see support services such as TriWest to specialty clinic staff and providers reaching out to support this program and its Soldiers. Without this relationship, the WTU at Fort Richardson would not have been named as one of the best practice sites across the country.

We at the WTU applaud the efforts of all at 3rd Medical Group!

-LTC Melody Quesenberry, U.S. Army