Newest Air Force residency program and medical center opens Published June 24, 2009 By Nellis Air Force Base 99th Air Base Wing NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- As 'testing, training and tactics' serves as one of the cornerstones for Nellis' reputation as the home of the fighter pilot and combat readiness, the same leading edge philosophy holds true for Nellis' debut of the family medicine residency program at the Mike O' Callaghan Federal Hospital, where a ribbon cutting ceremony was held June 18. As the newest residency program in the Air Force and first Family Medicine residency in 27 years, Nellis was chosen for its demonstrated capacity to train medical professionals, strong community ties and large population, said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Brian Crownover, the 99th Medical Group program director for Nellis' Family Medicine residency program. "General Green decided that we needed to stand up a new program four years ago," Colonel Crownover said. "He did his research and thought that the Las Vegas area, with its growth opportunities, potential partnerships with civilian medical institutions and existing partnerships with Veterans Affairs made Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital an easy top choice." Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Charles B. Green, selected for promotion to lieutenant general and reassignment as the Air Force Surgeon General, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., had searched for a new residency program location after a base realignment forced the closure of a family medicine training site at Andrews AFB, Md. "This significantly hit our pipeline for training new doctors by 20 percent," Colonel Crownover said. After the first class of six residents in 2009, the residency program will introduce eight new residents per year. The physician specialty training takes three years, at which time they graduate and will receive their first assignment at whichever Major Command base has the highest manning needs, Colonel Crownover said. In additional to the training resources at the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, a portion of the training will take place downtown at University Medical Center and Sunrise Hospital, where residents will learn about different diseases that occur more commonly in the community. "You folks are on the map here with a graduate medical education program; it's not the only one that we're bringing out into the area, because the newest medical center in the Air Force is Nellis," General Green said. "There will be surgeons that are in training this year downtown and working with the [civilian surgery] residency program as we form even stronger partnerships here with the Las Vegas community. It's fairly unique to be standing before you and see not only the family medicine residency, but to see a medical center forming." The Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital received $5 million to fund renovations supporting the transition to medical center status. Construction created more training areas, work spaces (procedure suites, procedure rooms and exam rooms), and upgraded infrastructure supporting technologies that further the transition from paper-based charts to electronic records. "I think that a place such as Nellis, where we have this wonderful partnership [with the local community], has the greatest opportunity to solve challenges, and contribute to the national debate in terms of how to make medical records electronic medical records and promote continuity of care - the needed reality for all the U.S. It's a big charge and I think that you [Nellis] are up to it," said General Green. With this program available at Nellis, Colonel Crownover said he hopes this will further enable a 'one-stop' shop mentality for the hospital, where patients and their families can address their medical needs and receive care on all levels without having to go to outside agencies. "Our job is to develop physician leaders that will thrive anywhere, in garrison or in a deployed environment," Colonel Crownover said. The first group of students were accepted into the residency program and will begin training July 1, with a projected graduation in June 2012.
