Troop Talk
This week’s column will include answers to the additional questions that were received during a visit to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, two weeks ago.
With the addition of so many new Soldiers to the installation, are there any plans in place to build a club for junior enlisted Soldiers?
As a part of non-appropriated-fund major construction projects, a funding request has been submitted to build a Junior Enlisted Club on Biggs Army Airfield. This facility will feature an entertainment center with interactive games, video games and other entertainment related equipment, a snack bar with an outdoor patio, party and meeting rooms and a lounge.
Are there any plans to add lanes to the gates in order to facilitate entry into the installation?
Most current access control points are constructed in areas of urban encroachment and do not allow for the expansion of additional lanes. There are, however, plans to increase the number of ECPs in key locations on Biggs Army Airfield to support growth in the east BAAF area.
The traffic light at the intersection of Fred Wilson and Chaffee is programmed to favor traffic moving on Fred Wilson. Is there a way we can get it reprogrammed to allow more time to exit and enter the Chafee gate?
The traffic light at the intersection of Fred Wilson and Chaffee access control point is programmed to facilitate traffic flow on the road that has the highest traffic volume. In this particular case, that road is Fred Wilson. The director of emergency services will coordinate with the Texas Department of Transportation and the city of El Paso to ensure the light cycle is set to optimize traffic flow, given our increase in volume.
With the increase of Soldiers and family members to the installation, is there a plan in place to cut down on the average waiting time at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center emergency room? In some cases, Soldiers have waited up to seven hours to be seen.
We recognize this problem can sometimes occur in same-day acute care. WBAMC has active recruitment actions for additional providers that will supplement both our Urgent Care and Primary Care clinics within the next 30 days to reduce the time spent in the emergency room. WBAMC understands the critical mission of providing quality acute care, and we are actively seeking ways to improve our capabilities and services to the Soldier and family members.
Soldiers have been told the pediatric clinic at WBAMC is cutting back on services and the clinic has lost a significant amount of their staff. What is the plan to increase services to accommodate the increase of Fort Bliss Soldiers?
The WBAMC pediatric clinic is not reducing services at WBAMC. The staff is in the process of increasing access to care over the next several months by hiring seven additional providers who will see pediatric patients. The Urgent Care Clinic that is operational between 5 and 9 p.m., Monday through Friday has increased its staff by one provider who will see pediatric patients. The pediatric neurologist who was deployed has returned and we are able to see pediatric neurology cases in the hospital. Additionally, we are able to see pediatric gastro and pediatric cardiology cases within the hospital. All specialty care that is not available within WBAMC is referred to the Tricare Network.
Maj. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg
Fort Bliss Commanding General