Fox Army Health Center to reduce services amid government shutdown
Fox Army Health Center will begin curtailing services this month because of the lapse in funding due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Lt. Col. Deepak Mathew, Fox’s commander, said the health center will prioritize active-duty personnel’s primary care and “sustain a small, on-post, acute/safety net.”
Starting Nov. 7, the health center will reduce Primary Care Medical Home services and suspend all on-post radiology services. This means nonurgent primary care, along with all radiology services, will be diverted to the Tricare network, according to Mathew.
Effective Nov. 13, Fox’s pharmacy operations will be cut to three days a week — Monday through Wednesday. The pharmacy’s ScriptCenter will continue to operate all five working days.
Mathew said patients can expect longer wait times for nonurgent care and see increased use of urgent care centers, local emergency rooms and network imaging centers.
He added that additional staff will be furloughed as required.
Specialty services such as optometry, behavioral health, physical therapy and essential force health protection assets will remain operational throughout the lapse in funding.
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