Fort Bliss Monitor

Troop Talk

During my morning run with 5-52 ADA Bn., Aug. 5, Soldiers had the following questions;

Why don’t we do Sergeant’s Time training anymore? There is currently no post policy on Sergeant’s Time Training and the decision is left to the individual brigades as to when, and whether or not training is conducted. However, I believe that Sergeant’s Time training provides an excellent opportunity for NCOs to train their soldiers on warrior tasks and drills, crew drills, and low density MOS training. I encourage commanders to continue this valuable training.

I heard that TRICARE lost their contract to provide healthcare for the military. If that is true, who will the new healthcare provider be? The TRICARE contract was re-bid and re-awarded for all of DoD as of Fall 2004. TRICARE reorganized from 12 regions to three (North, South, West). Fort Bliss is in the Western Region. Tri-West provides sevices to Fort Bliss and this region. Tri-West was one of three previous contractors (previously there were seven) who were re-awarded one of the new contract and therefore still maintains the same relationship with WBAMC and the region. The major changes with the contract are how they are managed on the business side of the house with the process flow of referrals and consults. There have been vast improvements in these areas which has truly streamlined pre-existing systems in the TRICARE structure. TRICARE remains the Department of Defense health care system and this present contract is due to remain in place for the next five years. Additionally, as another contract improvement, WBAMC is taking over the appointment function that once belonged to Tri-West and is in the process of hiring a complete staff which will be located on the ground floor of the main facility. WBAMC is set to start the appointment function Oct. 1. To learn more about TRICARE, I encourage you to visit the online site at http://tricare.osd.mil and read the many articles published in The Monitor.

Why does my wife who is pregnant never get to see the same doctor for her pre-natal appointments? I understand your concern and assure you that your wife’s prenatal health needs are met at WBAMC. The health of your wife and your unborn child is important to us. Therefore, since we will not know which specific provider will be on call when she delivers, this area of medicine requires that each member of the team is familiar with your wife’s health and condition to address these needs as a medical team. Additionally, in the last month WBAMC has exercised a completely new Pediatric Clinic access operation. The original WBAMC Pediatric Clinic has diverged into two distinct groups (one working out of the Soldier Family Medical Clinic and one at the original WBAMC Pediatric Clinic). The expectation is that this setup will allow for greater access to a set group of providers closer to the Soldier and their family. This initiative kicked off in mid-July and we are using the next six months to determine the level of direct Pediatric Primary Care Manager links we have with patients as compared to the previous single clinic operation at the main WBAMC facility. All of the patients were also mailed an information letter addressing this change and the location of their new provider. These same providers take calls at WBAMC so the team is still fully formed. You can be assured that your wife is receiving the best care available and there are specialists available if there are unforeseen circumstances.

Can businesses on post, particularly the Post Office, library, and vehicle registration office, stay open later to accommodate soldiers that work late (past 5 p.m.)? We have contacted the Main Post Office to determine if they could extend the hours of the post office on Fort Bliss, and as soon as I have an answer I will respond to your question. The post community library currently has a limited number of staff members, however, they are looking at adjusting their hours so as to accommodate Soldiers that can only visit the library in the evenings. The library is also open Saturday, specifically for those who cannot visit during the week. Internet capabilities are also available at the site. The ADA library is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and these hours accommodate students attending classes. Both permanent and temporary post decals for POVs can be obtained with the proper documents at the Robert E. Lee Gate office until 10 p.m., Monday through Friday.

I am a volunteer with the local Big Brother/Big Sister Chapter. Can you tell me why the Fort Bliss Welcome Center will not allow the chapter to brief incoming Soldiers on the volunteer opportunities of being a Big Brother or Big Sister? The local chapter has more than 70 kids without sponsors and our experience is that Soldiers make excellent mentors. We would simply appreciate the chance to make incoming Soldiers aware of this very worthwhile program. There are many organizations which would benefit from having the Fort Bliss Welcome Center provide information to Soldiers about volunteering with them. We would like to provide more opportunities for organizations like yours to interact with Soldiers and family members. However, Army and DoD regulations prohibit the explicit or implicit endorsement of any private organization that does not have a military affiliation. We do encourage Soldiers and family members to become active in the local community and to join, support, and participate in service, professional, recreational, and benevolent organizations. We can provide information about your organization through our post newspaper The Monitor, which we have done several times in the past. If Soldiers or family members wish to volunteer they may contact your organization. E-mail information to monitor@bliss.army.mil.

Brig. Gen. Robert P. Lennox
Fort Bliss Commanding General



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	August 11, 2005

	Troop Talk During my morning run with 5-52 ADA Bn., Aug. 5, Soldiers had the following questions; Why don’t we do Sergeant’s Time training anymore? There is currently no post policy on Sergeant’s Time Training and the decision is left to the individual brigades as to when, and whether or not training is conducted. However, I believe that Sergeant’s Time training provides an excellent opportunity for NCOs to train their soldiers on warrior tasks and drills, crew drills, and low density MOS training. I encourage commanders to continue this valuable training. I heard that TRICARE lost their contract to provide healthcare for the military. If that is true, who will the new healthcare provider be? The TRICARE contract was re-bid and re-awarded for all of DoD as of Fall 2004. TRICARE reorganized from 12 regions to three (North, South, West). Fort Bliss is in the Western Region. Tri-West provides sevices to Fort Bliss and this region. Tri-West was one of three previous contractors (previously there were seven) who were re-awarded one of the new contract and therefore still maintains the same relationship with WBAMC and the region. The major changes with the contract are how they are managed on the business side of the house with the process flow of referrals and consults. There have been vast improvements in these areas which has truly streamlined pre-existing systems in the TRICARE structure. TRICARE remains the Department of Defense health care system and this present contract is due to remain in place for the next five years. Additionally, as another contract improvement, WBAMC is taking over the appointment function that once belonged to Tri-West and is in the process of hiring a complete staff which will be located on the ground floor of the main facility. WBAMC is set to start the appointment function Oct. 1. To learn more about TRICARE, I encourage you to visit the online site at http://tricare.osd.mil and read the many articles published in The Monitor. Why does my wife who is pregnant never get to see the same doctor for her pre-natal appointments? I understand your concern and assure you that your wife’s prenatal health needs are met at WBAMC. The health of your wife and your unborn child is important to us. Therefore, since we will not know which specific provider will be on call when she delivers, this area of medicine requires that each member of the team is familiar with your wife’s health and condition to address these needs as a medical team. Additionally, in the last month WBAMC has exercised a completely new Pediatric Clinic access operation. The original WBAMC Pediatric Clinic has diverged into two distinct groups (one working out of the Soldier Family Medical Clinic and one at the original WBAMC Pediatric Clinic). The expectation is that this setup will allow for greater access to a set group of providers closer to the Soldier and their family. This initiative kicked off in mid-July and we are using the next six months to determine the level of direct Pediatric Primary Care Manager links we have with patients as compared to the previous single clinic operation at the main WBAMC facility. All of the patients were also mailed an information letter addressing this change and the location of their new provider. These same providers take calls at WBAMC so the team is still fully formed. You can be assured that your wife is receiving the best care available and there are specialists available if there are unforeseen circumstances. Can businesses on post, particularly the Post Office, library, and vehicle registration office, stay open later to accommodate soldiers that work late (past 5 p.m.)? We have contacted the Main Post Office to determine if they could extend the hours of the post office on Fort Bliss, and as soon as I have an answer I will respond to your question. The post community library currently has a limited number of staff members, however, they are looking at adjusting their hours so as to accommodate Soldiers that can only visit the library in the evenings. The library is also open Saturday, specifically for those who cannot visit during the week. Internet capabilities are also available at the site. The ADA library is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and these hours accommodate students attending classes. Both permanent and temporary post decals for POVs can be obtained with the proper documents at the Robert E. Lee Gate office until 10 p.m., Monday through Friday. I am a volunteer with the local Big Brother/Big Sister Chapter. Can you tell me why the Fort Bliss Welcome Center will not allow the chapter to brief incoming Soldiers on the volunteer opportunities of being a Big Brother or Big Sister? The local chapter has more than 70 kids without sponsors and our experience is that Soldiers make excellent mentors. We would simply appreciate the chance to make incoming Soldiers aware of this very worthwhile program. There are many organizations which would benefit from having the Fort Bliss Welcome Center provide information to Soldiers about volunteering with them. We would like to provide more opportunities for organizations like yours to interact with Soldiers and family members. However, Army and DoD regulations prohibit the explicit or implicit endorsement of any private organization that does not have a military affiliation. We do encourage Soldiers and family members to become active in the local community and to join, support, and participate in service, professional, recreational, and benevolent organizations. We can provide information about your organization through our post newspaper The Monitor, which we have done several times in the past. If Soldiers or family members wish to volunteer they may contact your organization. E-mail information to monitor@bliss.army.mil. Brig. Gen. Robert P. Lennox Fort Bliss Commanding General