WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2007 -  The  Army is on track to implement its Army Medical Action Plan (AMAP) and will have a full brigade devoted to healing wounded soldiers stood up by January, officers involved in the plan said.
 
Speaking at the Institute for Land Warfare forum, “The Army Medical Plan – Supporting Warriors in Transition” at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting, the officers described the progress made in the AMAP, which was developed as a result of critical media scrutiny of soldier care at Walter Reed Medical Center and other army medical facilities.
 
As a result of the AMAP process, the Army identified 150 things about  medical care that needed to be changed, said Brig. Gen. Michael Tucker, the deputy commander of North Atlantic Regional Medical Command. These were things like allowing people who were not the soldier’s blood relatives to participate in the army’s treatment program and allowing soldiers to wear their old unit patches while they recovered, something that they found helped morale, Tucker said. Nineteen of those changes required new legislation in Congress, but all 150 items are being implemented, he said.
 
One of the most dramatic changes in army medicine is the establishment of Warrior Transition Units (WTUs). Wounded soldiers will be assigned to these units, which will have a unique command structure and emphasize that even wounded soldiers have a mission: to get better.
 
There will be 32 WTUs of various sizes, mainly companies and battalions, at various stations and bases, which will replace the current medical hold units. In addition, a Warrior Transition Battalion is being established at Walter Reed Medical Center. That brigade reached initial operating capability in September and should be fully manned by January, said Tucker.
 
The Army  has over 10,000 injured soldiers on its active-duty rolls, effectively taking up spots in the  total end strength, so the Army needs to make sure those soldiers are treated as “efficiently” as possible, he said.
 
“The soldiers have a mission – to heal, and healing becomes their job. So it’s important that people recognize that it’s their job to make their appointments, take their medication,”  Tucker said.
 
The smallest level of the units will be a squad of 12 men, who will be “commanded” by a staff sergeant. That commander will help each of his soldiers keep doctor’s appointments, remember to take medicine and deal with bureaucratic problems. This will be a significant improvement over the current system, where a single part-time leader will manage the treatment of up to 50 wounded soldiers, said Col. Terrence McKenrick, the deputy commander of the Army Physical Disability Agency.
 
In addition, a Primary Care Manager at the company level and a registered nurse case manager will monitor each soldier’s treatment. Those three people will meet weekly to discuss each soldier’s treatment and will form a “triad” that will ensure a high level of personal care,  McKenrick said.

 
POC:
John Grady
Director of Communications
Association of the U.S. Army
(703) 907-2613
jgrady@ausa.org