HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Gragg, Defense Health Agency senior enlisted leader, visited the 49th Medical Group to discuss the current state of the Defense Health Agency and to address any areas of concern, June 30, 2021, here.
The Department of Defense was mandated by Congress through the Defense Authorization Act in 2017 to realign the Military Health Service to improve readiness for Joint Forces along with improving our healthcare capabilities. The DHA has been appointed to oversee these changes which are set to complete its transition by the end of 2021.
“Command Sgt. Maj. Gragg visited the 49th MDG to channel any issues the Holloman MDG may have during the transition to DHA and assist where needed,” said Master Sgt. Michelle Snapp, 49th Operations Readiness Medical Squadron dental flight chief. “This was also a chance to highlight the hard work and dedication of the staff during the COVID-19 operations and the implementation of DHA policies.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Gragg was greeted at the 49th MDG building by the MDG leadership and was escorted around the building by Col. John Davis, 49th MDG Commander, for a walking tour where he acknowledged the contributions of various 49th MDG personnel during their COVID-19 operations by handing out coins.
A town hall meeting was also held to address any questions the 49th MDG faculty had regarding DHA. According to Snapp, many of the questions were geared towards the future of manpower for certain clinics under DHA, along with the vision of realignment of medical forces and their customers.
“We are not here to take control from the U.S. Air Force, or any other service, we are here to implement some standardization to make the system more efficient for us and for our patients,” said Gragg. “There are some openness to proficiency by combining the capabilities of the military members from different departments under one roof to support the military medical enterprise.”
According to Snapp, Gragg was able to provide issues that other Medical Treatment Facilities had and what they did to overcome hardships with the help of the DHA. Gragg’s visit and acknowledgement of concerns will help the 49th MDG facility provide better care and service to their patients.