TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - The 60th Surgical Operations Squadron is a diverse team specializing in multifaceted patient care.
Each distinct unit provides an unparalleled level of knowledge and skill between providers and technicians alike. Although it typically functions as separate branches during day-to-day operations, it merges together in the in the operating room to care for 3,300 surgical patients annually.
Below is an outline of each flight's capabilities.
Heart, Lung, Vascular Center
The Heart, Lung and Vascular Center is an evolutionary step in the Air Force Medical Service. In partnership with the Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, the multispecialty center has reorganized health services into a patient-centric team, providing full-spectrum specialty care to patients with disorders of the heart, lung and vascular systems.
Included in this reorganization are the physicians, nurses and technical staff of the departments of cardiology, pulmonary medicine, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, respiratory therapy, coumadin and metabolic clinic as well as interventional cardiology. Patients are able to see cardiologists, pulmonologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, vascular surgeons, physician assistants and/or nurse practitioners and have cardiopulmonary testing, echocardiography and noninvasive vascular studies done in an expedient fashion with seamless transitions.
The Heart, Lung and Vascular Center is comprised of more than 100 active duty, civilian, contractor and VA personnel. It operates on a $100 million budget and sees 56,000 patients annually. It performs 1,100 annual procedures in the cardiac catheterization lab, while critical care physicians and respiratory therapists provide 24-hour coverage across an 84-bed hospital.
For more information on the Heart, Lung and Vascular Center, contact Flight Commander Mark Kolasa at Mark.kolasa@us.af.mil or 423-5225.
General Surgery
The General Surgery clinic consists of 31 personnel who provide service to three elements: General surgery, plastic surgery and bariatric surgery.
In addition to servicing DGMC, it has three providers in-house at UC-Davis Medical Center and a provider at VA-Mather. Its surgeons perform a vast number of surgeries, ranging from common hernia repair to reconstructive surgeries for cancer patients, as well as bariatric surgeries to preserve one’s quality of life.
It maintains $376,000 in equipment and surgeons provide 24/7 multidisciplinary trauma/plastic surgery call. It cares for approximately 15,000 patients annually, ensuring customer satisfaction and safety as its No. 1 priority.
For more information on surgery, contact Tech. Sgt. Danelle Kent, General Surgery flight chief, at Danelle.Kent@us.af.mil or 707-423-7745.
OB/GYN
The mission of DGMC OB/GYN clinic is to provide exceptional, personalized women’s health care in a warm and welcoming environment, to incorporate modern technology in its practice and to be at the forefront of knowledge in its field.
The women's clinic consists of 27 individuals striving to be leaders in the pursuit of excellence in women's health care. Through a broad-based approach that spans a woman's reproductive through post-menopausal years, it is devoted to providing innovative health care delivery.
The gynecologic and obstetrical services include family planning, routine, group and high-risk prenatal care, delivery and postpartum care, routine and special gynecologic care, colposcopy, gynecologic surgery, management of abnormal pap smears, infertility, menopause, wellness education, child birth and lactation education and well-woman assessments. The goal is to provide individualized, patient-centered, comprehensive and compassionate care all while supporting the AF mission. The clinic annually supports 460 births, 480 surgeries and 16,000 visits.
For more information on the OB/GYN clinic, email Master Sgt. Jennifer Mitchell at jennifer.mitchell.1@us.af.mil or Maj. Allison Van Haastert at allison.van_haastert.1@us.af.mil.
Operating Room
The Operating Room Flight consists of 72 personnel assigned between three functioning elements which operate 24/7. Its elements consist of Sterile Processing & Distribution, the Operating Room and the Cardiovascular Service.
The surgical support element is tasked with obtaining and maintaining the $21 million surgical inventory as well as cleaning, decontaminating and sterilizing all instrumentation for DGMC.
The Operating Room element is responsible for coordinating, preparing for and carrying out all major surgical procedures within the medical center. It provides quality care for 13 different specialties, ranging from cardiovascular to plastic surgery and everything in between.
Annually, the operating room cares for 3,300 surgical patients while placing patient safety as its No. 1 priority.
Currently, the flight is undergoing a $11 million renovation process with the end goal of upgrading its surgical suite from seven to nine operating rooms, including a second hybrid operating room specifically designed for cardiovascular patients.
For more information, contact Maj. Franklin Porcil, Operating Room flight commander, at Franklin.Porcil@us.af.mil or 707-423-7745.
Specialties
The Surgical Sub-Specialties Flight consists of 43 personnel assigned to five distinct specialty departments.
These departments include Ear, Nose & Throat, Neurosurgery, Urology, Ophthalmology and the Warfighter Refractive Surgery Center. The Surgical Sub-Specialties flight sees 18,500 patients and performs more than 2,000 surgeries annually, covering a myriad of surgical procedures.
The Neurosurgery department partners with the VA Fairfield Outpatient Clinic, located adjacent to DGMC, through a unique DOD/VA sharing agreement, enabling veterans to receive top notch service.
The Warfighter Refractive Surgery Center is only one of seven centers in the Air Force and is the sole AF center on the West Coast providing service to all branches of the military, reaching the entire Pacific Rim.
Specialties prides itself in providing safe, quality care for all patrons of the medical center. It promotes positive patient experiences and outcomes while applying DGMC's motto of “Trusted Care Anywhere and protecting the ultimate resource, our people.”
For more information, contact Maj. Kevin Kalwerisky, Surgical Sub-Specialties flight commander, at Kevin.Kalwerisky@us.af.mil or 707-423-7165.
Orthopedics
The Orthopedic Flight consists of 35 personnel assigned between four functioning elements which operate between active duty, VA and contractors.
Its elements consist of orthopedic hand/wrist, podiatry, total joint specialty, general orthopedics and chiropractic. DGMC's Orthopedic Clinic was renovated three years ago under an $11 million project, adding 16 additional exam rooms.
Annually, orthopedics providers are responsible for 14,000 clinical patients, while placing patient safety as its No. 1 priority. The flight's mission is to have the staff ready to provide the finest orthopedic care for the families in the region. Its highly trained group of orthopedic surgeons, physician assistants, clinical staff and therapists bring this mission to life through the values the Air Force was founded on.
For more information, contact Staff Sgt. Paul Cummings paul.cummings.4@us.af.mil or 707-423-5270.
Anesthesia
The Ambulatory Procedure Unit consists of Pre-Op, Same-Day Surgery and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, which consists of 23 personnel members.
The APU oversees simple to complex patient evaluations and coordinates with military treatment facility services to ensure access to more than 500,000 DOD/VA beneficiaries and manages $1.5 million in medical assets sustaining the surgical squadron.
The Surgery Center optimizes 17 surgical specialties at the AF's flagship hospital and coordinates/delivers critical nursing care in a 10-bed PACU and directs assessment and stabilization of surgical patients. APU also undertook relocation/renovation of APU/PACU to $11 million surgical suite, with zero delays in care and stayed 100 percent mission-ready with a Pre-Op Clinic supporting 12 specialty clinics and 63 physicians.
For more information on the anesthesia flight, contact Tamara Feeny at tamara.feeney@us.af.mil or 707-423-3597.