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The 212th Combat Support Hospital successfully completed a week-long NATO evaluation April 22 that is expected to lead to the unit being the first-ever NATO-certified combat hospital.
At the end of a week of detailed inspections and tests, the unit was found “fully capable” or “capable” in all areas, according to a First Impression Report prepared by Navy Capt. Kimberly Ferland, lead NATO evaluator. This FIR is the basis upon which NATO staff will officially certify the CSH. Once officially certified, the 212th CSH will become the first-ever certified-NATO combat hospital, according to Lt. Col. Oscar Meijboom, course director for the NATO Medical Evaluation Course.
To ensure the 212th met all NATO operational standards, evaluators from 13 partner nations — Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States — along with a member from the Supreme Hedquarters Allied Powers Europe Medical Branch conducted an evaluation of all hospital operations.
Many partner nations have had the Military Medical Center of Excellence send medical evaluators to their facilities to do evaluations in order to determine what standards need to be improved to become certified to NATO standards. But until now, no other medical facility has ever gone through a full NATO-certification evaluation that looked at their medical facility as a whole.
Approximately one year ago, the 212th CSH asked NATO to provide a courtesy evaluation. After the evaluation was presented to the CSH commander for review, the deficiencies were noted as well as notable items for sustainment.
Since that initial evaluation, the CSH has been going line by line improving upon the recommendations.
“How exciting is it to be part of the 212th CSH going through this NATO Medical Evaluation?” Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Stewart, 212th CSH senior enlisted leader, asked rhetorically. “Soldiers of the 212th can show the NATO evaluators their skills, hard work and training involved in this long preparation.”
After weeks of setting up the 32-bed hospital, the Soldiers are eager to demonstrate their medical skills, according to Stewart, who was confident early in the evaluation that the unit would be successful.
“This week will culminate with the hopes that the 212th Combat Support Hospital becomes the first-ever field hospital to get the NATO certification,” Stewart said.
One of the most critical pieces of being a NATO-certified facility is ensuring that NATO standardization agreements for procedures and systems and equipment components, known as STANAGs, are developed and put into operation within one’s facility. Being able to “speak NATO” is mission-critical when the CSH has multinational medical personnel working in their facility. The STANAGs ensures the policies and procedures are fluent throughout NATO and provides clear guidance regardless of the facility.
Now, all policy and procedures of the 212th CSH are in sync with NATO STANAGs. During the evaluation Soldiers from all levels were asked questions relating to administrative processes, support activities and patient-care protocols.
“This process demonstrates what we already do in a deployed environment,” said Maj. Michael Gray, officer in charge of Intermediate Care Ward I. “Now we have to show that it is in compliance with NATO standards ensuring positive patient outcomes with our allied nations.”
This certification would not only strengthen the bond with NATO forces, but improve the 212th CSHs interoperability.
The 212th is very familiar with working side by side with allied partners during multiple field exercises such as MEDRETE 15, Trident Juncture, Southern Accord and JORVIK LOOK. Continued multinational exercises will only improve the strong relationship the 212th CSH has with NATO partners and allies.
“I believe that the NATO Medical Certification will demonstrate to our partner nations that the 212th Combat Support Hospital’s skill and expertise in providing world-class health care to our partner nations is in concert with NATO standards,” said Maj. Paul Masters, EMT OIC.
Col. Brian D. Almquist, 212th Combat Support Hospital commander, will continue to build on the U.S. Army Europe Strong Europe concept by creating beneficial opportunities that will improve the interoperability with NATO partners and allies.
With this NATO certification, the 212th CSH will be in line with the SHAPE Medical Directorate providing top-quality medical care within the framework of the multinational military medical health care services in deployed operations contributing to the success of NATO allies and partners.
