BARNED AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. -- The 104th Fighter Wing Medical Group conducted Periodic Health Assessments during an event known as the PHAst track Feb. 27 - March 5, 2023 at Barnes Air National Guard Base. The 104MDG completed dental exams, audiograms, blood draws, immunizations and physical evaluations during the PHAst track.
The strategic planning and dedicated preparation required to make PHAst track possible started in December. 104MDG schedules appointments to be as efficient as possible for members, with the average appointment being an hour long. Eight medical stations were manned by several medical staff members to ensure Airmen were able to cycle through each station quickly and be guided immediately to their next stop. The PHAst track screening format allowed the 104MDG to process multiple appointments at a time. This meticulously coordinated set-up resulted in more than 660 appointments completed in one week.
The 104MDG has been utilizing this efficient format for annual medical readiness for six years, but for Capt. Kirstin Avery, medical administration officer, this was her first time working with the process.
“PHAst track is an experience,” said Avery. “I've never been part of anything like it! What impressed me most was the ‘all-hands-on-deck’ effort and mentality within not only medical group, but the entire wing. For example, an overnight snowstorm caused a three-and-a-half-hour delay of appointments. Immediately, we had support spanning from the wing commander to brand-new Airmen flexing and collaborating to reschedule and accomplish more than 100 appointments within the same day.”
New members to the 104FW are not the only ones to take note of the PHAst track’s effective format. Chief Master Sgt. Richard Stec, senior enlisted leader, and Master Sgt. Darrel Hanrahan, nursing services superintendent, both with the 103rd Airlift Wing Medical Group, Bradley Air National Guard Base, Conn., made a visit to the 104FW to see first-hand how the process worked.
“The 103 MDG will be utilizing the PHAst track template for our wing starting August 2023,” said Stec. “Hanrahan brought the model to the attention of the 103MDG’s Executive Council.” Personnel from the 103MDG have assisted the 104MDG during the PHAst track for several years and have taken note of the various ways the format benefits both the medical group and the wing, according to Stec.
Although the PHAst track format provides an organized and efficient process for completing medical readiness requirements for hundreds of members, the success of the event would not be possible without the motivated, flexible and hard working Barnestormers who made it happen.
“It was a really impressive effort,” said Avery. “I'm proud of medical group's diligence and all the preparation that went into pulling this off so efficiently, despite the inevitable disruptions.”