435th MDG named best in Air Force

The 435th Medical Group was recently honored by the Air Force Surgeon General, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr., at the Department of Defense Military Health System’s Annual TRICARE Conference in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24.

The 435th MDG won the 2004 Air Force Medical Treatment Facility of the Year as a result of its commitment to “Taking Care of America’s Heroes” through mission support and customer satisfaction. The Air Force Medical Service gives the annual award to one of its 75 military treatment facilities, including 24 hospitals and medical centers.

“It’s a tremendous honor to have our clinic singled out for this Air Force-level recognition,” said Col. Carol L. Vermillion, 435th Medical Group commander. “This award is really a tribute to the 860 men and women working hard each and every day within the medical group to deliver the best quality care to our 24,000 beneficiaries.”

The 435th MDG also received the highest combined Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and Health Services Inspection results of any other Air Force Medical Service facility in 2004.

The 435th Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility’s special operations and aeromedical evacuations helped win this award, said Colonel Vermillion. The 435th CASF provides medical service to Airmen and Soldiers at forward deployed locations and has moved or cared for 3,692 patients during Operation Enduring Freedom and 19,290 patients in Operation Iraqi Freedom, including more than 2,300 battle injuries.

Colonel Vermillion also recognized the efforts of active-duty members who kept their medical readiness above the Air Force standard and thanked the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

“Our partnership and their staff have made this a seamless health service in supporting our Kaiserslautern military,” she said. “It was a team effort in every sense of the word.”