DGMC celebrates anniversary it nearly missed

  • Published
  • By Merrie Schilter-Lowe
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Afffairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz --  

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. -- David Grant USAF Medical Center is celebrating its 30th year in building 777 at Travis Air Force Base, California. But, DGMC may not have been built but for the tenacity of Rep. Vic Fazio, D-West Sacramento, and former Air Force Surgeon General, Lt. Gen. Max Bralliar.

 

While the congressman – a member of the House Appropriations Committee – tackled the funding issue, Bralliar argued readiness amid criticism that the facility was overly large.

 

Air Force leadership explained that the new DGMC would be twice as large as the current hospital in building 381 – now home to the 60th Mission Support Group – and provide care to more than 70,000 active duty members, retirees and their families.  DGMC would employ about 1,200 people when it opened Dec. 15, 1988.

 

Today, DGMC provides medical care for nearly 400,000 eligible Department of Defense and Veterans Health Administration patients in Northern California with a staff of more than 2,000.  

DGMC is not just the Air Force Medical Services largest hospital, it is also a teaching facility for residents as well as a formal training school for a number of programs, including dental, pharmacy, clinical laboratory and surgical services. 

The Air Force broke ground on the $202 million facility Aug. 22, 1984, with Congressman Fazio and Bralliar as guest speakers.  The congressman had spearheaded the hospital funding in Congress since 1979.  However, in August 1986, Congress decided that the facility was “ill-advised, unnecessary and detrimental,” according to a local newspaper, the Daily Republic, in Fairfield, California.

 

The article reported that the congressman had vowed to “fight like hell” to restore the final allocation of $87.5 million needed to complete construction of DGMC by late 1988.  He was already on record saying: “This community needs David Grant.  The patient load is only expected to grow in the future and this hospital will fill a huge void.”

 

The Air Force Times reported on April 22, 1985 that Bralliar had appeared before the House Armed Service Subcommittee on Military Installations and Facilities arguing that DGMC would have a major role in casualty receiving and treatment during contingency operations in the Pacific Theater, which would require the hospital to expand inpatient bed capacity to 557.

 

Bralliar also noted that DGMC would provide health care support to Travis and the surrounding military communities as well as support the Air Force Medical Services second-largest teaching program for physicians, dentist and other health care personnel.  He asked Congress not to scale back on the building.

 

 With more than 500 contractors working, construction on DGMC was 90 percent complete and ahead of schedule by 1987.  Congress had appropriated more than $113 million for construction over a three-year period – $5 million in fiscal 1984 for the preliminary construction phase, $30 million in FY 1985 and $78.4 million in FY 1986.

 

Although the House and Senate had authorized the $87.5 million to complete DGMC, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended that the full Senate reduce funding by $60 million.

 

Sandy Stewart, Fazio’s legislative assistant, said in a Daily Republic news article that cutting the construction budget would force the Air Force to default on the primary contract, costing the government $30 million in termination fees.

 

According to the newspaper, the previous David Grant USAF Medical Center was 37 years old, poorly designed and too small.   Additionally, structural problems and outdated mechanical equipment made renovating the facility almost as costly as building a new one. 

 

Bralliar had testified that the new DGMC would provide a 298-bed inpatient facility, a 75-bed aeromedical staging facility, a 52-chair dental clinic, outpatient treatment clinics and ancillary support functions, a clinical investigation facility, a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, linear accelerator and a nuclear magnetic resonance facility. 

 

The 808,475 square-foot hospital was scheduled to open in 1988 and hospital staff had hoped to see patients in early 1989.  But budget cuts threatened to sideline the construction project.

Fortunately, by February 1986, the FY 1987 bill sent to President Ronald Regan included the final installment for the new medical center.   

By May 1988, about 350 contractors were focusing on the inside of the building.  

The new DGMC was completed in October 1988, one month ahead of schedule an approximately $8 million under budget.  According to Travis historical records, the entire project spanned seven years, met every milestone and received substantial recognition for design excellence and management expertise.

DGMC was designed as a four-level facility that would house the main medical center, dental clinic and energy plant.  The outpatient clinics were designed around five courtyards, which provides natural lighting as well a respite for patients and staff.

 

Built to withstand a major earthquake, DGMC can operate on its own internal utilities for nearly one week. 

 

In 1985, the hospital gate, road and security forces checkpoint were built on Parker Road so a new traffic light was installed. Hangar Avenue was rerouted to include a perimeter road around the construction site and Hickam Avenue was extended from the main base to the hospital site. 

 

In January 1987, DGMC expanded pharmacy services to include a satellite refill facility at the base exchange mini mall.  DGMC was formally dedicated in May 1989, which was the same year the $12 million hyperbaric chamber opened.  

 

At age 30, DGMC is still structurally sound and built to withstand a major earthquake.  For the past decade, DGMC has undergone three phases of improvements and modifications totaling more than $140 million.  This includes upgrades in the oral surgery clinic, women’s health clinic, heart lung vascular clinic and the intensive care unit.

Additionally DGMC added two operating rooms, increasing the hospital’s surgical capabilities. All of the upgrades were completed while the hospital still provided Trusted Care to patients.