Anthony Tolisano, Chief Resident with the TAMC Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic, inserts tubes into a Palau child's ear drum to drain the fluid build-up in his ear. Tolisano was in Palau as part of a mission requested by the Palau Ministry of Health to pr...
Capt. Krzysiek Middleman (right), third-year resident at Tripler Army Medical Center's Internal Medicine Clinic and Intensive Care Unit and Pvt. Mitchell Clyburn, radiology student, carry a mock patient to the operating room during the Rim of the Pac...
Edward Kawaoka, senior technician, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tripler Army Medical Center, conducts a Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan on a patient. This machine is used to conduct multiple types of body scans including th...
HONOLULU -- Tripler Army Medical Center, also known as TAMC, prides itself on serving as the premier health readiness platform in the Pacific and by providing high quality, safe, patient-centered health care.
Along with many other procedures, this year, TAMC delivered more than 3,200 newborns, performed nearly 9,500 surgeries and conducted nearly 720,000 clinic visits to our more than 260,000 eligible military personnel, family members and veteran beneficiaries throughout the Pacific.
TAMC is at the forefront of technological advancement in medicine, and this year made a number of significant innovations toward providing the best possible care for patients.
One of these innovations was making the dopamine transporter scan (DaT Scan) available to patients. The DaT scan is a helpful tool in diagnosing Parkinson's disease while still in its earliest stages. This is a task that no other hospital in the state has been able to accomplish.
Another new program, introduced by the TAMC Pulmonary Clinic, was a self-screening process for early signs of lung cancer. The program allows patients to self-refer and includes a counseling session with a TAMC nurse navigator, an annual computed tomography, or CT scan of the chest, and access to the most comprehensive pulmonary services in Hawaii.
Soldiers' deeds throughout the year proved TAMC's expertise and its ability to train America's fighting forces to be ready for anything, anytime. In one instance, a group of officers and nurses assigned to multiple clinics throughout TAMC took a personal trip to Maui to participate in the Maui Marathon.
While nearing the finish line, they witnessed a 71 year-old gentleman collapse while having a heart attack. These nurses were able to revive the man and provide aid until emergency services arrived.
"Their care and training was impeccable, and I have never been more impressed with a group of young nurses," said Laura Spector, doctor of osteopathic medicine. "They performed these duties without any equipment available to them. It was even more impressive that they had just run an exhausting race."
TAMC has also been making major strides to improve facilities throughout the hospital. This year, the new Progressive Care Unit (PCU) moved into its new ward on the 7th floor. The new modernized care environment includes safe patient lifting systems, state-of-the-art beds, bariatric capability and expanded care environments and technology enhancements that assist the nurses and care staff in providing for patient and family needs.
"TAMC is moving and growing in order to enhance the caring environment for our beneficiaries with a focus on the 'ohana' care aspect by providing a patient-centered and family-focused addition to our care," said David Dunning, TAMC commander. "With this move, we are modernizing our care environment to align with the MEDCOM (Medical Command) view of patient care and provide world-class health care to our patients and families."
TAMC commenced enforcement of its tobacco-free living policy on its campus this year. The policy prohibits anyone, including patients and visitors, from using any type of tobacco products on the campus. The goal is to provide a safe environment for patients to receive care while improving the health, wellness and productivity of the total Army family. The policy also made command-sponsored tobacco cessation services available to TAMC employees. These services include counseling, education and pharmaceuticals to assist the employees in quitting tobacco use.
TAMC also hosted the CBS show "Hawaii 5-O" for the filming of its two-hour season finale. More than 200 members of the cast and crew worked side by side the TAMC staff to film the episode. During the airing of the show, more than 11 million viewers watched the episode resulting in approximately $8 million of free advertising for TAMC.
"Jack Lord used to film the old H5O episodes here, so we honor that history and continue the legacy while showcasing for the nation TAMC's commitment to readiness and excellence," said Jim Guzior, TAMC's chief of Public Affairs.
During the past year, TAMC has employed 12 Army and Air Force reserve units for their annual training. As the major medical facility in the Pacific, TAMC provides reserve units the ability to take the time to work on systems that are not usually available at their local clinics. The reserve units provided TAMC with nearly 21,000 working hours in TAMC clinics and labs equating to more than $1.2 million.
TAMC hosted many distinguished visitors over the last year. Surgeon generals and senior medical officials from Bangladesh, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand took the time to meet with the TAMC commander and staff to discuss ways in which we could build on the established relationship between the U.S. and respective countries during global medical engagements.
TAMC has been healing heroes since before the attack on Pearl Harbor and honors its rich history while continuing to care for patients. TAMC's 4,000 member staff is dedicated to continuous quality improvement and to providing state-of-the-art medicine with state-of-the-art technology.
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