OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- The 55th Medical Group redesignated two squadrons Sept. 25, 2020, as part of the Air Force-wide initiative to enhance military medical readiness.
The 55th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and the 55th Medical Operation squadrons were deactivated and replaced by the 55th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron and the 55th Healthcare Operations Squadron, respectively.
“We are witnessing first-hand some of the most significant and sweeping changes that the military health system and Air Force medical service have ever experienced,” said Col. Julie Ostrand, 55th Medical Group commander. “We don’t just have a front row seat to this, we are participants and creators on stage. We are watching it unfold and making it unfold.”
Col. Robert Holmes became the commander of the 55th OMRS, while Col. Eric Sherman took the reigns as the commander of the 55th HCOS.
The move realigns Offutt’s medical services with the Air Force Medical Service reform’s guidance. OMRS will focus on the warfighter, while the 55th HCOS will provide care to dependents and retirees.
Although the squadron designations have changed, Ostrand, said one thing that will not change is the award winning customer service and world class healthcare patients of the Ehrling Bergquist Clinic have come to expect.
“This is historic. Not since 1993 when the Air Force Medical service adopted the Objective Medical Group structure have we had such a transformational shift," she said. "As we say good bye to the 55th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and the 55th Medical Operation squadrons, both with a long history and distinguished legacy, they will become the foundation upon which the 55th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron and the 55th Healthcare Operations Squadron will be built."