ERDC improves readiness, wellness

The Europe Regional Dental Command is raising the bar for U.S. Army Europe Soldier wellness and readiness by providing prevention-focused dental care designed to achieve the highest dental readiness rating while using fewer appointments.

U.S. Army Dental Command and the ERDC are introducing the Go First Class program for USAREUR Soldiers in the KMC.

The Go First Class initiative shifts the focus to the highest level of oral wellness — Category 1 — and does so more efficiently by bringing routine oral care procedures including exams, cleanings, tooth varnishing, and simple fillings into a single appointment.

“Go First Class is centered on dental wellness, directly supporting the (Army) surgeon general’s goal of transforming from a healthcare system to a system for health,” said Col. Michael Doran, ERDC commander.

By addressing issues such as prevention, wellness, and readiness, Go First Class aligns directly with the Army Medicine 2020 campaign.

Soldiers will need fewer dental visits which will translate into more time with their units in the KMC.
Bundled appointment services combined with scheduled appointments, enable dental teams to treat more patients and increase overall satisfaction for every patient that visits dental facilities in the KMC.

Dental facilities within the Landstuhl Dental Activity footprint are Baumholder, Kleber, Pulaski, Landstuhl, and Wiesbaden dental clinics.  Other dental facilities participating in the program are Livorno, Vicenza, NATO, SHAPE and Stuttgart’s Patch Barracks dental clinics.

“The Go First Class initiative along with new information systems we have implemented put clinics in the Europe Regional Dental Command on the cutting edge of the latest dental technologies, promoting a robust Military Health System focused on the wellness of our Soldiers,” Doran said.