REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala.--Fox Army Health Center has a new face.
Team Redstone and the greater Huntsville healthcare community gathered April 4 to celebrate the completion of the health center's front entrance renovations, an achievement for Fox, where wellness is as evident in the aesthetics of the building as it is in the doctors, nurses, patients and staff that inhabit it.
"Many thanks to the previously and currently assigned visionaries who had a vision of how Fox Army Health Center should emulate wellness," Fox commander Col. Elizabeth Johnson said. "They saw the potential and need for this renovation which truly supports the Fox Army Health Center vision 'Premier Model of Organizational and Beneficiary Wellness.' I have commented many times that this is a beautiful facility that does not have a physical appearance denoting a sense of disease or illness. It's an inviting facility from top to bottom matching the caring, wellness-oriented attitude of its great staff."
Gone are the hard hats and construction signs that accompanied the renovations at Fox -- today a new reception area welcomes patients, complete with a coffee shop operated by the Post Exchange, which offers coffee, smoothies, sandwiches, soups, salads and other healthy dining options. In addition to a larger waiting area with televisions, three pharmacy windows have been added, as well as a Fox Deployed Warrior Wall, which showcases pictures of staff members deployed while assigned to Fox.
"This is great," Redstone commander Maj. Gen. Jim Rogers said. "This is all about taking care of families. This is what we do here at Team Redstone, we take care of families. When you think about when this started back in September of '07 with the planning of this, and the culmination that has occurred, and when you walk through, it's a class act, and that's what we're all about. We have great people here, we have great doctors, we have great nurses, we have great Soldiers, who take care of families, and that's what we're all about. "
The completion of the renovations has been long awaited for Johnson and company, but with the ribbon cutting complete, staff and patients can breathe a sigh of relief, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy the end result of years of hard work.
"I have been looking forward to this day since 16 July 2010," Johnson said of the day she took command. "As of 2 p.m. on that date, the most frequently question of me has been, 'When will the new front entrance be done'' Unfortunately, my response regarding the time frame for completion was constantly changing. My response went from October to December to January to March. I probably put a little extra stress on my staff and the contractors when I said I wasn't changing my response one more time and 4 April is my final answer! Now I hope the most frequent question asked of me will be, 'Do you have time for a cup of coffee''"
Funds for the renovation came partly from Third Party Collections and performance awards, for which Fox is a leader in MEDCOM. Much of those monies were used to fund the renovation, according to Johnson, which will benefit both staff and beneficiaries.
"It is for you, Fox Army Health Center beneficiaries and employees, to enjoy," Johnson said. "And I hope you do take a moment to enjoy it."
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