The Army is transforming medical care to meet soldiers and families where they are, said Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, director of the Defense Health Agency.

“We all deserve good care, and we all have an expectation that we meet people where you're at,” Crosland said Oct. 15 during a warfighter and family forum focused on transforming medical care at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Exposition. “What I mean by that is better access and convenient care that fits in your actual lives.” 

Soldiers are utilizing new technology to provide care for patients, even amid difficult conditions, Crosland said, citing the resilience of medical care at Fort Moore, Georgia, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

“At Fort Moore, Martin Army Community Hospital was devastated [when it was] hit by [Hurricane] Helene, … and they had to go to a skeleton crew, like many other health care systems,” she said. “They moved their appointments to schedule virtual visits, and they quickly sent out links, and then from home, the team took care of 600 virtual appointments.”

Beyond health care access, taking a proactive health care approach remains essential, said Lt. Gen. Mary Izaguirre, the Army’s surgeon general.

“Strength and conditioning is huge because that helps us work the prevention piece,” she said. “We want to get into that ... space of maintaining ability and vitality and, really, having that agency over your own wellness and health.”

Army Medicine is looking to inspire trust, Izaguirre said.

“Our job is really to inspire trust,” she said. “To inspire trust in our soldiers as the best health care in the world that is there is , … to inspire trust in our families that we will provide the care that you need … and inspire trust in our workforce that we are the sort of organization that you want to be a part of.”

— Karli Goldenberg