FORT DRUM, N.Y. (June 11, 2015) -- A new health care facility that will focus solely on providing health care to Soldiers is set to open this month.
The new Troop Medical Clinic 2, or TMC2, located across from Conner Troop Medical Clinic, will be the primary health care facility for Soldiers assigned to the Mountain Home Team under the Soldier Centered Medical Home, or SCMH, model.
Soldiers who fall into this category are assigned to 10th Mountain Division (LI) units and Fort Drum tenant units such as the 63rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 59th Chemical Company and 91st Military Police Battalion.
The 23,000-square-foot facility will house 10 exam rooms for the Mountain Home, a laboratory department, radiology department, medical records, a procedure room and triage area according to Lt. Col. Michael Madkins, Troop Medical Clinic officer in charge.
"With the addition of this facility, we are able to accommodate the Soldier Centered Medical Home model much more efficiently," Madkins said. "The added space allows us to bring in more assets, expanding the services available to Soldiers in one location."
The SCMH is the Soldier's version of Patient Centered Medical Home, which is the model Family Members use when visiting Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic. SCMH consists of primary care, behavioral health, clinical pharmacy, physical therapy, nutrition care and nurse case managers.
According to Madkins, currently clinical pharmacists and nurse case managers are located in a separate annex building apart from the main patient care area, and while they are part of the Soldier's care team, they are not as easily accessible. With the opening of the TMC2, these individuals will be located in the same building as the team they support.
"The primary concept is that all of these services are in one place. Instead of having to go over to Guthrie (Ambulatory Health Care Clinic) or other facilities, everything is consolidated, which is the main idea behind SCMH," Madkins said.
Another feature the new facility will provide is a team-room concept.
"(The team room) allows for nurses and providers to collaborate and work together," Madkins said. "This area is also their workstation, but really this area will allow them to put into action the team model and ensure the best care possible for the Soldier."
In addition to the new TMC2, Conner Troop Medical Clinic also is undergoing a renovation that will better facilitate the SCMH model. The renovated CTMC building will be home to 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams -- the Warrior Home and the Commando Home respectively.
In order to accommodate the space needed for the SCMH model, laboratory services have been moved out of the CTMC, and Soldiers who are seen there will be sent over to TMC2 for routine laboratory and radiology services.
Both facilities fall under the Fort Drum U.S. Army Medical Activity Department's footprint; however, the sole purpose of each is to service Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division, according to Madkins.
"The TMC2 is a Fort Drum MEDDAC facility, but really the intention is that this is a joint venture with division. This is a division facility, and really a majority of the staff is from division," Madkins said. "So the leadership shell is from the MEDDAC, but all of the providers, except for about four or five, are all division physician assistants, all of the screeners are medics from division. There are three registered nurses and four licensed practical nurses from MEDDAC, but all the other screeners are from division."
The TMC2 is scheduled to open June 23, while the renovated CTMC will open on June 30. Soldiers must be referred by their unit's battalion aid station before arriving at the clinic for unscheduled visits.
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