Baumholder Clinic offers last minute physicals for KMC students

By Mrs. Alofagia Oney (Landstuhl RMC)July 27, 2019

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BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- In an effort to ensure students in the Kaiserslautern Military Community are not on the bench for the first few practices of fall sports due to a missing school or sports physical, the U.S. Army Health Clinic Baumholder is hosting two Back To School Physicals events, Aug. 10 and 17 at the clinic.

"We took a look at the calendar and realized that pre-season football practice at Baumholder Middle High School starts on Aug. 12, and we just know there are bound to be some student athletes that haven't had their physicals yet," said Lt. Col. Elizabeth Gum, commander of the Baumholder Clinic.

The Baumholder Clinic, which typically only provides healthcare TRICARE Prime beneficiaries empaneled to the clinic, decided to open the school physicals drive to all students in U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland Pfalz and Ramstein Air Base, regardless of their sponsor's branch of service or whether they are military or civilian.

"We want the make sure all kids in the Baumholder and Kaiserslautern military communities are healthy enough to play sports. So if you are a DOD civilian, a contractor, an Airman or a Soldier, your child is welcome to receive their sports physical with us," Gum said.

Non-TRICARE beneficiaries will need to complete a third party insurance form for billing purposes. Additionally, while the event is open to them, non-TRICARE beneficiaries should follow-up with their regular primary care provider if recommended by the doctor or nurse practitioner at the Baumholder school physical event.

NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR PRIMARY CARE

Col. Richard Kynion, the chief medical officer at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the parent command of the Baumholder Clinic, wants parents to know that this Soldier Readiness Processing (SRP) style school physicals event does not replace a routine appointment with a primary care provider.

"The point of this event is simply to ensure that the child is fit to participate in sports," said Kynion, a pediatrician who also serves as the deputy commander for medical services at LRMC. "Yes, your child will go through stations for things like hearing and vision tests, but he or she will also have time with a provider who will give a more thorough examination for the purposes of the school physical."

Kynion noted that his experience with mass school physical events at other military medical treatment facilities usually uncover medical issues of which parents and children were not aware. Should that scenario occur during the event in Baumholder, Kynion advises that parents book follow-up appointments with the child's primary care provider.

"Because we anticipate a station-to-station type of event, and we want to get parents and children in and out as quickly as possible without compromising the quality and safety of our healthcare delivery, children may not be examined by their normal primary care provider, and the doctor or nurse practitioner administering the exam won't know the child's medical history," said Kynion. "It's important that if the provider says to follow-up with your PCM that parents heed that recommendation."

While the Baumholder Clinic will host Saturday school physical events to capture those students who need physicals before the start of the sports season, LRMC will host another school and sports physical event on Aug. 24 at 8 a.m. for an additional round of last minute needs before the start of the DODEA school year. The event scheduled for LRMC will also be offered to all students in the Baumholder and Kaiserslautern military communities, but parents can pre-book their child's physical by calling the Appointment Line during the week of Jul. 29 (more information to follow).

The Baumholder Back to School and Sports Physicals events are available for walk-ins and will be held from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Aug. 10 and 17 at the Primary Care clinic on the second floor.

For more information visit the official Facebook pages for the U.S. Army Health Clinic Baumholder, www.fb.com/BaumholderHealthClinic and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, www.fb.com/LRMCOfficialPage.