Blanchfield hospital earns prestigious Star Award

By David E. Gillespie, Blanchfield Army Community HospitalFebruary 5, 2015

Blanchfield hospital earns prestigious SOH Star Flag
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – On behalf of the Secretary of the Army, the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy & Environment) Katherine Hammack is joined by Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, Army Surgeon General and Commander of U.S. Army Medical Command, as she pres... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Dignitaries meet with reporters before ceremony
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – From left, Honorable Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy & Environment) and Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Hororo, Army Surgeon General and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command, sit down with reporters at Fo... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Prestigious SOH Star Award presented to Blanchfield hospital
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Honorable Katherine Hammack, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy & Environment), presents BACH Commander Col. George Appenzeller with a certificate of recognition for the hospital's successful completion of the requirements for rec... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Dignitaries tour Blanchfield before award presentation
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – On a whirlwind tour of Fort Campbell Monday (Feb.2), Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy & Environment) Katherine Hammack, right, and Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Hororo, Army Surgeon General and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Blanchfield Army Community Hospital became the first stateside hospital to receive the Army's prestigious Safety and Occupational Health (SOH) Star Award Monday, recognizing the staff's successful completion of more than 240 performance-based tasks in less than half the anticipated three-year timeline.

On behalf of the Secretary of the Army, the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy & Environment) Katherine Hammack was joined by Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, Army Surgeon General and Commander of U.S. Army Medical Command, as she presented the SOH Star flag and certificate to BACH Commander Col. George Appenzeller at the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Headquarters. The SOH award program emulates similar federal programs in the civilian sector and includes formal inspections, staff assistance visits, walk-through surveys, risk management consultations, and an array of other activities intended to enhance the safety and health of patients and staff.

"There is clearly a culture of teamwork here where civilian employees, Soldiers, and contractors work together to ensure workplace safety and accident prevention on a daily basis," Hammack said to the crowd gathered for the ceremony. "Most importantly, the impact of their great work extends to 72,000 enrollees who receive their primary care at Blanchfield."

The award is the culmination of a successful implementation of the Army Safety and Occupational Health Management System. The system mirrors the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Program with 243 tasks divided into three separate phases, Hammack explained.

"These phases are designed to be completed in within a three-year period, but that was too long for BACH, which completed all the requirements in just 14 months," she said.

The star award program put a bright spotlight on safety, said Lt. Gen. Horoho, meeting with reporters before the ceremony.

"The program has been a huge focus in the last few years to emphasize safety -- employee safety, safety in the work environment and safety for our patients. Fort Campbell is the first of our hospitals in the Continental United States to receive this award, and there are only 10 military treatment facilities outside the United States that have achieved that status," Horoho said.

"I think Fort Campbell will be leading the way for the rest of the nation."

As hospital commander, Appenzeller said it was a great honor to receive the SOH Star Flag and certificate on behalf of the Blanchfield team that continues to impress him.

"Safety is a continuous process that we as healthcare professionals must always evaluate. We continuously examine our processes to ensure our occupational safety is superb, which translates to safe patient care. We constantly strive to be better in every way, continuously assessing our compassionate care while maintaining quality, trained professionals who offer a safe climate for themselves and others. All of these qualities ultimately benefit our patients," Appenzeller said.

That combination of patient safety within a safe environment has led Blanchfield to be rated in the top five percent of national hospitals by the joint commission, Secretary Hammack said.