Author: krda

Source: The News-Enterprise 

It was standing-room only Tuesday inside the lobby of the new Ireland Army Health Clinic as soldiers and civilians gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the facility, which was called “the most recent and monumental upgrade in Ireland history.”

“What you see here is a testament to a nation and an army taking care of those who bravely and voluntarily serve,” Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Knighten said during the event.

“The opening of this new facility marks an important moment in the history of Army medicine and the Fort Knox community. The structure announces the unwavering commitment to readiness and health for service members and family members.”

The $58 million, 101,373-square-foot facility was touted as having state-of-the-art features and upgrades, including an exterior comprised of local brick, stone and glass. The landscape features more than 50 trees, shrubs and low maintenance plants and a semi-private outdoor physical therapy garden. The interior has cool LED lighting, motion activation and is designed to create an environment conducive to healing.

The clinic officially opens today.

A two-story glass cur­tain wall connects pa­tients and staff with nature. It also is blast resistant and controlled with motorized shades.

According to Knight­en, the new facility attain­ed Gold Lead­er­ship in Energy and En­vi­ron­ment Design cer­ti­fi­cation through high performance, energy conservation, open design, low-maintenance plants, materials, air quality, storm water management, recycling and pollution control.

Clinical highlights featured in the December 2019 issue of Army Healthcare, noted the Ireland Army Health Clinic program offers a range of health care services, including primary care exam rooms and provider offices, reception areas, waiting rooms, physical therapy, a large behavioral health suite, specialty clinic services — consisting of optometry, allergy and hearing conservation — as well as radiology, pharmacy, labs and other support services.

“I am truly impressed with this state-of-the-art facility and I know it will serve our patients well for decades to come just as the former building did,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Place, com­mand­ing general of Re­gion­al Health Com­mand Atlantic.

Place went on to praise the dedicated military and civilian staff who he said, “everyday strive to provide the highest level of care for the Fort Knox facility.” He said that’s what makes Ireland Army Health Clinic a treasure.

“It’s truly a great day to be a soldier and medic in the U.S. Army,” he said.

Maj. Gen. John Evans Jr., comm­an­­ding general of U.S. Army Cadet Co­m­­mand and Fort Knox, said the chief of staff in the Army tells them consistently winning matters because should deterrents fail, the American people expect our Army to win and win decisively.

“And in order to do that we have to have fit, ready and resilient soldiers each and every day,” he said, noting the new facility will assist with that effort.

“This is going to be a place for soldiers to be well, to get well and to be strong. I know that because this is Fort Knox and strength starts here.”

The new health facility at 200 Brule St. is actually the fourth to have served Fort Knox.

According to a history provided in the event’s program, in 1918, the year of Camp Knox’s birth, the base hospital, a World War I cantonment building, was completed on the present site of Lindsey Golf Course near the Gold Vault. The hospital burned down in 1928 and medical services were relocated to the World War I guesthouse on Bullion Boulevard.

The history said a brick hospital, located on “E” Street – which is now 1st Calvary Division Road – was built in 1934 and served as the Fort Knox Post Hospital until 1942, when two mobilization hospitals were constructed.

According to the his­tory, both hospital complexes were located along Dixie Street in the area now occupied by the dependent school facilities and the Morand Manor housing area. A multi-storied concrete structure, Ireland Army Community Hospital, named in honor of Maj. Gen. Merritte W. Ireland, the 23rd surgeon general of the Army, was completed in 1957.

Due to its age, Evans said the former building is scheduled for demolition.

The new VA Clinic that is currently under construction on Fort Knox is scheduled to open for patient care end of August, beginning of September.

Beginning in early Jan­uary, Fort Knox will play a new and important role in how the U.S. Army identifies and selects future battalion commanders.

The post has been selected for the Battalion Commander Assessment Program, a new five-day course geared at moving forward the best-of-the-best of Army officers on the Lieutenant Colonel Centralized Selection List in their pursuit of battalion command.

About 800 officers on the Army’s list of potential principal and alternate command leader will attend BCAP annually on post at Fort Knox from Jan. 15 to Feb. 9. Some 150 or so Army leaders and cadre will relocate to Fort Knox in support of the program.

The program is part of a larger strategic shift prioritized by Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville to move beyond what he characterized in November as the Army’s “industrial age” personnel management practices, a system of promotion and leadership assignment based on seniority.

“Right now, we spend more time and more money on selecting a private to be in the Ranger Regiment than we do on selecting what I would argue is one of the most consequential leadership positions in the Army, our battalion commanders,” McConville said.

Maj. Gen. John Evans Jr., commanding general of U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox, praised the Army’s decision in selecting the local post for the program. He believes as the home of U.S. Army Cadet Command and U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox is ideal for this program.

“It’s literally our daily business here to produce future Army leaders and select existing leaders for the right command positions,” Evans said.

Success with the program will be important for the Army for a number of reasons.

While the candidates’ file of performance and career achievements will continue to be part of the selection process, new physical, verbal, written, cognitive and non-cognitive assessments will combine with interview sessions by behavioral psychologists and panels of senior Army officers to more fully equip promotion decision-makers to understand the candidate’s total skill set.

Sometimes hidden in past practices, potential success derailers will be more easily identified through the expanded program.

Better command promotion decisions with more well-rounded and better qualified and equipped lieutenant colonels provides stronger leadership for other officers and NCOs under their command, improving retention and fostering other future leaders.

The program is equally important to the future of Fort Knox, too.

Moving more of the Army’s future command leadership ranks through skill development and leadership training programs at Fort Knox results in hundreds of future mission placement decision-makers and influencers with a firsthand familiarity of the post’s key attributes.

Chief among these are Fort Knox’s world-class 360-degree live-fire ranges and training areas; fully instrumented C-130 capable airfield, energy resilience and ability to produce more energy and water than it consumes, state-of-the-art physical and cyber security, modern facilities, buildable acreage and central location within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population.

More Army commanders and top leadership with firsthand knowledge of what Knox has to offer strengthens the post’s position for new and expanded missions.

This editorial represents a consensus of The News-Enterprise editorial board.

Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, this week hosted representatives from the U.S. Army and Fort Knox at the committee’s Energy and Environment Innovation Showcase.

The Energy and Environment Innovation Showcase highlighted businesses and organizations from across the country that are developing and deploying breakthrough technologies to reduce emissions and save energy.

“I invited the U.S. Army and Fort Knox to the Energy and Environment Innovation Showcase because I wanted my colleagues on the committee to see the fantastic work they are doing to make the installation energy independent,” said Guthrie. “Fort Knox’s program is a model for what other bases and organizations can do to take advantage of natural resources and achieve energy independence. I was proud to highlight this impressive work at the showcase, and I know my colleagues appreciated hearing from Fort Knox and the U.S. Army.”

“The Army is highly dependent on energy and needs access to it in many forms, including electricity, liquid fuels, natural gas and others. The Army has several critical missions that cannot be accomplished if natural disasters or adversaries disrupt the energy supply; therefore, the Army is working with energy providers to implement energy resilience solutions. Reliable access to energy is vital to support Multi-Domain Operations, and the Army appreciates the support from Congress over the years. Energy resilience enables Army readiness,” said Mr. Michael F. McGhee, P.E., Executive Director, Office of Energy Initiatives, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary (Energy & Sustainability) at the U.S. Army

Congressman Guthrie has long supported Fort Knox’s energy independence program. Last year, he authored legislation to make the program permanent.

Source: U.S. Congressman Brett Guthrie