VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. -- During the year of 2021, Vandenberg Space Force Base’s medical clinic went above and beyond in ensuring the best quality care for the members of our community, and they have the awards to show it.
The 30th Medical Group and its members have been awarded a combined total of 17 awards this year due to their outstanding performance in medical care and patient safety. Although all of the awards are exceptional and show the dedication and care of the medical group’s workers, there is one award that stands out above the rest: the Best Ambulatory Clinic Patient Safety Program.
“The reason why we were competing for this award was to highlight the true importance of the patient safety program,” said Chief Master Sgt. Luis Magana, 30th MDG superintendent.
One of the key components of this award was the one-year mitigation of the Exceptional Family Member Program shortfall. They acquired connection with a provider that comes and provides specific services for the clinic. In return, this provides excellent time efficiency while putting patients’ needs first.
“Without a special provider like the one we have, some kinds of care would take up to two years to receive,” said Magana.
Another major achievement of the 30th MDG was phone infrastructure modernization. Patient calls are very critical to the safety and understanding of every patient’s needs. The 30th MDG recognized this and took the initiative to fix an issue to better their service.
“For the longest time, we had antiquated phone lines that would drop calls,” said Magana. “So, it became very important to us to modernize our phone lines to prevent any safety issues.”
The 30th MDG collected important data based on the amount of dropped calls and fixed them with the remodel of the clinic’s phone systems.
In conjunction with these accomplishments, the 30th MDG partnered with Los Angeles Air Force Base and guided their Point of Distribution (POD) operations for COVID-19 vaccinations. Due to their assistance, vaccination rates for the base rose from 45% to 60% with a more accessible POD setup.
“We wanted to ensure their POD operations were successful and safe,” said Magana. “We want to make sure the whole medical enterprise is safe.”
With the help of every Airman, Guardian and civilian, the 30th MDG has shown their excellence in patient care, safety and communication. Vandenberg’s clinic will continue to provide the utmost professionalism and care for its patients, making it their top priority.
“Our patients trust us with their day to day care, so we owe them to make sure we have a safe clinic that they can come to at any time,” said Magana.