FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Col. Christian Meko took command of the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital in a change-of-command-ceremony Friday, June 24, when he assumed command from Col. Peter Nielsen.
Nielsen and his wife, Cheryl, will be returning to Texas where he will be vice chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine and Obstetrician-in-Chief, The Children's Hospital of San Antonio.
Meko, is a distinguished military graduate of the University of Notre Dame with commission as a Medical Service Corps officer. He conducted post-baccalaureate pre-medical studies at Bryn Mawr College, is a graduate of Dartmouth Medical School, and did residency training in Family medicine at DeWitt Army Hospital where he also served as chief resident. Meko is board certified in Family medicine.
"Colonel Christian Meko is a proven leader in peace time and at war," said Maj. Gen. Thomas Tempel, Jr., commanding general, Regional Health Command-Central (Provisional).
"Christian, I know you are the right leader at the right time for GLWACH, for the region, and for military medicine. In addition to your knowledge and skill as a Family medicine doctor, you possess the leadership necessary to ensure this command continues to excel as an organization through professional development, with attention to the important challenges facing the Army."
Meko was chief of Family medicine, Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point Division Surgeon, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) to include service as the Combined Joint Task Force-10 Surgeon for Operation Enduring Freedom.
"I know you will champion Readiness and promote and oversee this great command as a premier expeditionary and globally integrated medical force," Tempel said. "You have my confidence in your skills as a leader, and I am grateful that you, too, have the strength of your Family to support you as you assume command of a hospital that is so absolutely vital to this community, as well as the readiness of the military, and the health and resiliency of Families and retirees," he added.
As an MSC Officer, Meko served as Adjutant and later S2/S3 for the 5th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, as a platoon leader, and later as the Health Service Support Officer, 307th Forward Support Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division; Aide-de-Camp, 44th Medical Brigade Commander/XVIII Airborne Corps Surgeon; Battalion Surgeon, 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment for hurricane Katrina relief efforts; and Brigade Surgeon, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment w/deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Change of Command event was followed by a short retirement ceremony for Nielsen.
"Pete has put in place some of the most innovative programs known to Army Medicine," Tempel said. "Col. Nielsen, you and the staff of General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital have elevated the level of care here to an unprecedented standard."
"Pete, you have undoubtedly left a legacy here, showing unwavering professionalism, integrity, and dedication to duty as a highly successful and visionary leader," Tempel said. "Pete has put in place some of the most innovative programs known to Army Medicine and for his leadership he was recognized by the Missouri Hospital Association as the winner of their Visionary Leadership Award for 2015 -- the only military recipient ever to receive the coveted award."
"The only Electronic Intensive Care Unit partnership with a civilian medical facility in DOD, which has grown from GLWACH's selection as a pilot program, is now changing military medicine as the Department of Defense's first and longest continuously active Tele-Critical Care pilot program," Tempel said.
Tempel also listed accomplishments under Nielsen's watch such as the DOD/Veterans Affairs sharing agreements with all four VA treatment facilities in Missouri. New technology at GLWACH includes a state-of-the-art 640 slice CT scanner that can create a 3D image of the brain in less than 1/3 of a second, GLWACH's own Remote Surgical Tracking system, known as "REST Assured!", which enables family members to securely track the progress of their loved ones on a waiting room screen and even using their smart phones. "STEMI-Hot Load" shaves life-saving minutes off helicopter evacuations for heart attack patients.
GLWACH's Beneficiary Instant Provider Appointment Scheduling System a real-time web and mobile phone report, shows patient appointment availability and makes booking primary care visits much faster as well as preventing the overuse of the Emergency Room, Tempel said.
"BIPASS is now considered a best practice in MEDCOM, scheduled for deployment throughout the entire Army," Tempel said.
A reception for Meko was held in the hospital's dining facility following the ceremony.
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