In preparation for a military reduction in Europe and the return of troops to the US, Colonel Kelly Wolgast is growing all aspects of her community hospital.

As an important component in the war-fighting organization known as the US Army, the mission for Evans Army Community Hospital is clear: to deliver on the promise of quality, safe, effective, and timely warrior-centered care. For Colonel Kelly Wolgast, commanding officer of the hospital, the mission is more specific.

Colonel Kelly Wolgast, Commanding Officer

Growing personnel
Evans Army Community Hospital is a 78-bed not-for-profit community hospital based in the Colorado Springs and Denver corridor region. Wolgast’s strategic plan for the immediate future of her hospital combines personnel, finances, facilities, and service planning with a central theme of growth.

“As the Army draws down in Europe and moves soldiers around the globe, we will take advantage of the military installations already established in the US for movement of troops and troop concentrations,” she explained. “More troops means more families with children, and I need to increase my personnel activity to support that growth.”

Because of its location in Colorado, the hospital has had little trouble in the past attracting quality civilian and military healthcare providers. However, the hospital is not entirely removed from the healthcare professional shortages sweeping the country. As with many healthcare providers, Wolgast and her recruitment team strive to show the benefits of working in Colorado on the Fort Carson post, including state-of-the-art equipment and a true sense of teamwork. “Every day we work as an Army to improve how we do hiring, recruiting, and retention, both for people who wear the uniform as well as our medical professionals. We can also provide a relocation bonus and other financial incentives that make it more attractive for civilians to work with us.”

Money isn’t everything
While signing bonuses may sound like an easy answer to a complicated problem, keep in mind Wolgast’s Army- and Congress-set annual budget. In addition to an annual operating budget, the hospital must project its fixed costs, facility and personnel growth costs, as well as network healthcare costs.

“Not all of my patients are served here in the military treatment facility,” explained Wolgast. “I work with the network downtown to refer some patients, which comes with a cost.”

One advantage the Army hospital has is in its ability to earn money based on productivity. The Army Medical Department has a formula for productivity growth that results in a payment back to the military treatment facility if it has impacted the military medical system by earning or conserving money. The rewards, Wolgast explained, are to be used for special healthcare projects not already figured into the hospital’s budget.

To increase efficiencies, Wolgast has followed the Army Medical Department’s lead and this summer sent her current leadership through lean and Six Sigma leadership training. This fall she sent another five employees to the Army medical department’s green belt training, which is taught organization-wide by a contracted group of professionals.

“We’re emerging in lean and Six Sigma,” Wolgast said. “I look across my organization to highlight projects to achieve more productivity gains. Most recently we’ve targeted our civilian hiring processes to identify any roadblocks and to help me with my long-term, multi-year plan of increasing capacity here at Fort Carson.”

Moving forward
With increased capacity comes the need to increase the size of facilities. Wolgast has been focused on expanding Evans Army Community Hospital, both internally and externally. For example, the hospital is in the process of upgrading its labor and delivery area to the LDR (labor, delivery, recovery) concept. In August, the hospital delivered 165 babies, and Wolgast anticipates delivering at least 200 babies a month moving forward.

“As we move in new families, that volume will not go down,” she said. “We’re not a medical center, but we are working to ensure that the surroundings in which a new mom can deliver and heal are state of the art.”

Evans Army Community Hospital is also preparing to break ground on a 155,000-square-foot outpatient clinic in 2008. The clinic will be connected to the hospital and will provide room to grow for primary and specialty care services, such as orthopedics and physical therapy. “We understand the needs of our population and need to make sure we’re growing in the areas that need growth, like OB/gyn, primary care, and behavioral health,” Wolgast said.

In addition to the main facility on Fort Carson, Wolgast also oversees outlying occupational health clinics in Colorado and Utah and has developed a strong relationship with the Veterans’ Administration in Colorado Springs and Denver. As she prepares for the military draw down in Europe and the subsequent surge on her base, that relationship will be key.

“The VA is an enormous part of caring for our soldiers and their families and facilitating their transition from active duty to serving the nation as a veteran,” Wolgast said. “We have also developed a warrior transition unit and a soldier family assistance center to prepare for aspects of our future other than growth. We are dedicated to caring for our warriors and their families, and that’s what makes this organization the best military treatment facility in the Army.”