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JBSA News
NEWS | Nov. 1, 2017

Highway 90 Gate enhances patient care at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center

By 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs

Located on West U.S. Highway 90 access road, patients are able to access Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland at the closest possible point to the new Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center (WHASC) and the gate is open from 6-9 a.m. for inbound traffic and outbound from 2:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

This gate places beneficiaries directly behind the parking garage, which guides pedestrian traffic from their vehicle into the D-wing of the medical facility.

“Our mission is to provide excellent patient care, and this gate helps our patients commute to and from our facility. If it is someone’s first time visiting Wilford Hall, we are glad that the installation has provided this patient experience amplifier to us,” said Brig. Gen. (Dr.) John J. DeGoes, the 59th Medical Wing vice commander.

This patient and employee gate option serves as a quality replacement to the Bergquist gate. Bergquist was closed almost two years ago during construction of the new WHASC and will remain closed because it does not meet antiterrorism and force protection standards.

“The Highway 90 gate would help get me to my appointment faster, because it’s right behind the parking lot,” said Kevin Thomas, a Wilford Hall ASC patient. “I didn’t know it was open, but now that I know, I will start using it.”

The 59th MDW’s Wilford Hall ASC hosts 19 primary care clinics and more than 100 specialty services. It serves as the Defense Department’s largest outpatient medical center, providing a wide range of primary care, specialty care and outpatient surgical services.

“We see thousands of patients weekly here,” DeGoes said. “Helping beneficiaries doesn’t start when they get into the building. We want to enhance their experience from their initial appointment line call-in, through their actual appointment and also continue to make a positive impact throughout their recovery. Every stage of the patient care lifecycle is important to us and we need to continuously investigate how to enrich even the smallest of details.”

Wilford Hall ASC is home for more than 500 uniformed and civilian medical professionals who care for more than 77,000 Tricare Prime enrollees.

“The opening of the Highway 90 gate cuts off on average 14-17 minutes of my wait time to enter the base,” said 1st Lt. Lorna Neeley, 59th Medical Wing executive officer.  “This gate allows my mil-to-mil family to enjoy more time with our children in the morning and alleviates the need for before school care, saving us hundreds of dollars a month.  The opening also decreased the stress on many who previously were fighting the Thursday and Friday graduation traffic.  I am very excited about the gate being open and believe it is a total service to our patients here at Wilford Hall ASC and all personnel of the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Team.”

 

Services at Wilford Hall ASC include family health, allergy, audiology, chiropractic, pediatrics, pharmacy, orthopedics, radiology, dermatology, immunizations, general surgery, internal medicine mental health, optometry, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, dentistry, physical therapy, refractive surgery, sleep medicine, speech, urology, urgent care and more.

For more information about the 59th MDW, visit http://www.59mdw.af.mil.