FORT DETRICK, Md. -- U.S. Army Medical Logistics Command is planning to hold additional online training to help Soldiers identify medical devices and properly bring them to record in the Global Combat Support System-Army (GCSS-Army) to include a maintenance plan as required.
The overall goal is to increase visibility of all medical devices throughout the operational force, especially those that require maintenance plans, “so they can be properly maintained and are ready to be deployed at the drop of a dime,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Torre Williams.
“Medical devices and medical maintenance doesn’t get as much attention” as other Army commodities, like tanks or helicopters, Williams said. “We want to make medical maintenance a priority like ground and air maintenance is.”
To do that, AMLC’s Medical Maintenance Policies and Analysis directorate (M2PA) is planning monthly virtual training sessions to educate units on which devices are “maintenance-significant,” specifically those contained within larger sets, kits or outfits.
Williams said the GCSS-Army training aims to cut through the complexities of medical devices, which can be difficult to track and maintain, thus posing a risk to readiness.
Accurate records for medical devices in the field enable readiness by ensuring they can be properly maintained, as well as provide maintenance personnel with situational awareness on their whereabouts and functional status.
Visibility of medical devices, Williams said, enables Army leaders to better plan for and equip various units to ensure high levels of readiness. It also ensures accurate accounting of assets and resources are used appropriately.
Since holding a series of classes on the subject last year that reached hundreds of unit-level personnel, M2PA leaders said Army-wide compliance has increased, but additional progress is necessary to continue improving visibility of all maintenance-significant medical devices.
Williams said he hopes that offering monthly training, as well as sessions by request, will further boost those numbers.
“Medical devices are just like any other type of equipment,” he said. “It serves a purpose … and that’s to save lives and support the warfighter.”
The first session on Microsoft Teams is scheduled for Feb. 17 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. EST. The online training can be accessed here. For those without Teams access, the audio-only dial in number is 1-571-388-3904, access code: 349914677#.
M2PA leaders plan to host additional sessions during the third week of each month moving forward.
Questions can be directed to the M2PA mailbox at usarmy.detrick.amlc.mbx.m2pa@mail.mil.
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