The American Hospital Association\'s Section for Federal Hospitals presented Col. Jimmie O. Keenan and Lt. Col. Dawn Garcia with awards recognizing outstanding service in health care.

Garcia, head nurse of the combined intensive care unit of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, received the 2007 Special Achievement Award. Garcia spearheaded clinical-training competency plans that ensured rapid integration of new personnel into the combined ICU. Her staff is made up of both active and reserve components of the Army, Navy and Air Force along with Department of the Army civilians. She also led the transition to an all inpatient electronic record system ensuring smooth transition for staff and patient safety.

Garcia actively promoted interdisciplinary performance improvement and infection control processes resulting in Landstuhl being verified as a Level 2 Trauma Center.

Garcia is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and certified by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas and a Master of Health Administration from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Keenan is the recipient of the 2007 Award for Excellence. She is chief of staff for the Army Medical Action Plan team at the Office of the Surgeon General. Keenan and her staff developed and structured the AMAP and reduced redundancy, achieved greater unity of effort, and optimized resources for improved delivery of care.

The AMAP swiftly coordinated establishment and staffing of 35 Warrior Transition Units (WTU) across the country to improve the structure and continuity of care management for Soldiers in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. This novel approach has increased organizational and health-care provider accountability through case management and other patient-centered services while maintaining flexibility based on the needs of the individual. The AMAP has taken a process-based approach to managing Soldiers from the time they arrive at the WTU until they leave to return to duty or to civilian life.

These efforts in instituting comprehensive care plans to manage the outpatient process led to the creation of the "Triad Concept of Care" that incorporates three professional disciplines: leaders, case managers, and primary-care providers to successfully manage the outpatient process through communication, collaboration and team work.

Keenan has served in the Army Nurse Corps for over twenty years. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. She received her Baccalaureate of Nursing from Henderson State University, a Master of Science in Nursing Administration from the Medical College of Georgia, and a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania.