Fort Sill Medical Department Activity welcomes new commander

FORT SILL, Okla. (Aug. 10, 2017) -- Reynolds Army Health Clinic changed commanders during a ceremony at the Old Post Quadrangle, Aug. 4.

Fortunate to find a relatively cooler Oklahoma summer morning, Soldiers, friends and family of clinic staff gathered to say farewell to Col. Kenneth Lemons, and welcome to Col. Enrique Ortiz Jr.

Concluding his two-year command, the retiring Lemons opened his farewell speech with several thunderous calls of, "Boomer!"

The audience responded alike with a vociferous "Sooner!"

Since Lemons took command in July 2015, Reynolds accomplished a successful transition from a community hospital to a health clinic.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Tempel Jr., Regional Health Command-Central commanding general in San Antonio, officiated the ceremony and highlighted Lemons' accomplishments.

In just two years under the direction of Lemons, Reynolds went from a large budget deficit to one of two military treatment facilities operating in the black with a nearly $9 million surplus for the fiscal year.

This was accomplished while simultaneously maintaining the extremely high standards of patient care provided by Reynolds and Army Medicine as demonstrated by the current 98 percent patient satisfaction rating of the health clinic. Tempel noted this was the highest in the region.

Another notable success achieved under Lemons' leadership was increasing access to care by adding an after-hours clinic as part of the Primary Care Clinics that is available for appointments until 6:30 p.m.

The clinic also added major additions, such as the opening of the Health Readiness Center in February and the Department of Women's Services, which recently began scheduling and treating patients.

Incoming commander Ortiz originally hails from Panama City, Panama. Most recently, he was the deputy surgeon, Office of the Joint Staff Surgeon, at the Pentagon.

"My immediate goal here at Reynolds is to really keep things the way they are," Ortiz said. "Colonel Lemons has done a remarkable job in his time here and I want to maintain and improve on the high standard that he has set.

"I am looking forward to getting my family settled in the Lawton-Fort Sill community," Ortiz continued. "I know that I have come into a gold mine of fantastic people to work with who have worked hard to make Reynolds Army Health Clinic the great place it is for the Soldiers, their families and all the beneficiaries here at Fort Sill."

ORTIZ' BIO

An accomplished Black Hawk helicopter medevac pilot, Ortiz was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps following graduation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in April 1992 with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical science. He went on to complete a master's degree in aviation safety and management from ERAU and a master's in strategic studies from the Army War College.

Among his previous assignments, Ortiz was the commander for the 277th Aviation Support Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, at Fort Drum, N.Y. He was also the executive officer for the Operations Officer for the Office of the Surgeon General and Army Medical Command.