Military Families in Richmond Hill Celebrate New Medical Home

It was a proud and rewarding day for the Army and the family members of active duty military serving at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield when they marked the opening of a new medical home in Richmond Hill with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  The facility is one of 17 clinics the Army is opening near 14 Army installations in the United States.  Richmond Hill was chosen for its central location and proximity to military members living in and near Pooler and southwest Savannah.

Having the availability to be provided with quality health care is so important to the soldiers and their families, and with the opening of the new medical home, they will be receive primary care, as well as a variety of other benefits such as immunization services, pharmacy services, laboratory and radiology services, and behavioral health services.

Immunization Services – Immunization services are preventive services determined by the patient’s care team based on age, gender, or risk factors.

Pharmacy Services – Pharmacy services include medication dispensing for new prescriptions and refills (enrolled beneficiaries only), patient education, individual and group consultations, medication reconciliation, and prescription monitoring.

Laboratory Services – This is a moderate complexity lab.  Laboratory services include phlebotomy, specimen processing, and results reporting.

Radiology Services – Because patients must be sent off-site for radiology services, the clinic ensures that delivery of radiology services is seamless.  This means that patient instructions are clear, that the receiving radiology center is informed of the patient’s requirements, that the patient knows what to do after the study is complete, and that results are immediately available to the ordering clinician.

Behavioral Health Services – Scope of care includes assessment, diagnosis, and brief counseling for common primary care diagnoses (anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, stress reactions, etc.) and behavioral modification related to chronic disease and prevention.

At the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Joseph Caravalho Jr., the Army’s southern region medical commander, said, “studies show that primary care initiatives lead to many benefits, such as fewer costly visits to the emergency room.  The ultimate goal is for you to get consistent and memorable health care anywhere within our system.”

The number one priority to the soldiers and family members is to provide easy access to the best quality health care possible while maintaining Soldier medical readiness.  The goal is to have the right provider, providing care at the right time, using the right venue that’s best for the family members by making primary care services easier to obtain.

The military families that live in and around Richmond Hill now have access to the best ways of maintaining their health, while enjoying convenient access to it.  The area continues to grow and develop, and with that brings positive change!  As a realtor serving the Richmond Hill and Savannah areas, military re-location is one of my specialties.  If you have any questions about the area or military living, leave me a comment or contact me, as I can provide you with lots of great information!

If you are a “military family”, what tips or suggestions do you have for newcomers?