Chapter 12: PRMC & Tripler Army Medical Center

Tripler History
The origins of Tripler Army Medical Center date back to 1907 when several wooden structures at Fort Shafter were used as a hospital. The facility was named in 1920 after Brigadier General Charles Stuart Tripler, in honor of his contributions to Army medicine during the Civil War. At the start of World War II, the hospital at Fort Shafter had 450 beds. Plans for a new Tripler hospital atop Moanalua ridge were drawn in 1942 and construction was completed in 1948. The architecturally distinctive coral pink structure, nestled on the southern slopes of Oahu's Koolau range, was dedicated on Sept. 10, 1948 and has become a familiar landmark on the island of Oahu.

Tripler Army Medical Center Today
Tripler Army Medical Center is the largest military medical treatment facility in the entire Pacific Basin. Located in central Oahu, Tripler is well situated to serve its primary beneficiaries, the active-duty personnel of the U.S. military armed forces and their families. Tripler is also the regional medical command for the U.S. Pacific Command. Its geographic area of responsibility spans more than 52 percent of the earth's surface, from Hawaii to the eastern shores of Africa. Nearly 400,000 people in the Pacific Basin are eligible to receive care at Tripler, the Pacific Regional Medical Command's premier teaching medical center. This includes active-duty service members of all branches of service, their eligible families, military-eligible retirees and their families, veterans, and many residents of Pacific Islands. The medical center is voluntarily accredited by the Joint Commission. Tripler's entire staff of more than 3,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel are evaluated to ensure that the hospital continues to provide quality and excellence in medical care. The staff is dedicated to continuous quality improvement, and providing state-of-the art medicine with state-of-the-art technology.

Tripler's Vision and Mission
Tripler's vision statement describes Tripler as: "America's premier medical team saving lives and fostering healthy and resilient people throughout the Pacific region; Army Medicine...Army Strong!" Its three-fold mission is to: "Promote, sustain, and enhance service members health; train, develop and equip a medical force that supports full spectrum operations; and deliver leading edge health services to our Warriors, Military Families and Veterans to optimize outcomes essential to ensuring a capable U.S. military force."

Deploying a force that is fit to fight is the primary reason for Tripler's existence. More than 500 staff members are also PROFIS (Professional Filler System) staff, ready to deploy at a moment's notice, if needed, to South Korea and elsewhere in Pacific Command's area of responsibility, on humanitarian and emergency missions. Tripler's service region includes Hawaii, Japan, Korea, Johnston Atoll, Guam, American Samoa and various Pacific Island nations.

Tripler and TRICARE
Like the rest of the medical community in the United States, military medicine is a wellness-based model of managed healthcare. TRICARE Prime is the military's managed care approach to providing health services. Its programs and staff emphasize the development and maintenance of healthy lifestyles.

Tripler also provides administrative and logistical support to the Pacific Regional Dental Command and the Pacific Regional Veterinary Command, both headquartered on the grounds of Tripler AMC on Moanalua Ridge. The Veterinary Command provides military veterinary services to Department of Defense forces and missions in more than 20 countries in the Pacific theater. Tripler also works closely in a joint venture with the Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center, Honolulu—VA Pacific Islands Health Care System.

Other Medical Partnerships
The Pacific Telehealth and Technology Hui (Hui, in Hawaiian, means "group" or "partner") is involved in a variety of telehealth projects. The Hui is the first collaborative partnership between the Department of Defense and the Veterans Affairs Department (See page 74). Tripler is a partner with other medical organizations in projects such as the Internet Tumor Board, Akamai, PAC-MEDNET and Theater Telemedicine Prototype Project. Akamai is Hawaiian for "clever" or "smart." The Akamai project uses telemedicine applications to enhance healthcare delivery to people. Tripler is also home to the Center of Excellence (COE) in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance. It partners with the U.S. Pacific Command, the University of Hawaii, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Pacific Regional Medical Command (see below for more information on the Center of Excellence). Tripler continues its nearly 100-year tradition of providing excellent healthcare to its patients and never losing sight of its primary goal of readiness. More information on Tripler is available at http://www.tamc.amedd.army.mil.

Other Agencies at Tripler
Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance
Telephone 433-7035
Bldg. 160, Krukowski Road
frontoffice@coe-dmha.org
http://www.coe-dmha.org

Mailing Address
COE Disaster Mgt and Humanitarian Assistance
1 Jarrett White Road (MCPA-DM)
Tripler Army Medical Center
Honolulu, HI 96859-5000
The mission of the Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (COE-DMH) is to educate, train, conduct research and assist in international disaster preparedness, mitigation, management and response, as well as health security, humanitarian assistance and societal resiliency. The Center's Vision is the Asia Pacific region prepared to respond, collaborate and manage natural and manmade disasters. Our aim is to assist Asia Pacific nations with disaster management plans, response to plausible contingencies, and participation in a regional collaborative framework.

The Center of Excellence (COE) was established in 1994 through congressional legislation sponsored by Senator Daniel K. Inouye. It is a direct reporting unit to U.S. Pacific Command and takes its policy guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). COE is headquartered on the Army installation where Tripler Army Medical Center is also located. Subject matter experts from around the world supplement the staff of 35 civil service, military active-duty and contract personnel. COE operates in an unclassified environment.

Pacific Telehealth and Technology Hui
Telephone 433-3600
1 Jarrett White Road, 4th Floor, E Wing
Room 4B100 MCPA-PO
Tripler Army Medical Center
Honolulu, HI 96859-5000
http://www.pacifichui.org
Formed in 1999, the Pacific Telehealth and Technology Hui is a joint venture between the Department of Defense Pacific Regional Medical Command at Tripler Army Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System, Honolulu. The Hui's purpose is to leverage the resources of the DoD/VA partners to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of patient care through the use of emerging and existing telehealth technologies.

The Hui explores new approaches to healthcare service delivery, research and concept development. Its projects focus on a broad range of advanced technologies, including clinical informatics, biomedical applications, clinical telehealth practices, data-warehousing, and interoperability between DoD and VA clinical information systems.

The Hui conducts research and develops prototypes of telehealth and clinical applications that support the health and medical needs of beneficiaries in the Pacific. In the Hawaiian tradition of "Hui" or coming together in collaboration, the Hui works to build alliances and strategic partnerships with other federal, public and private healthcare organizations to facilitate the sharing of resources and knowledge within the Pacific region. A key part of the Hui's mission is to transfer technology developed for the federal government to other public organizations and the private sector.

Spark M. Matsunaga
Veteran Affairs Medical Center
Telephone 433-0600
Honolulu VA Pacific Islands Health Care System
459 Patterson Road
Honolulu, HI 96819
http://www.va.gov/hawaii
The Veterans Affairs (VA) Pacific Islands Health Care System is centered in Honolulu, Hawaii and consists of the Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center, the VA Community Living Center, and community-based outpatient clinics located on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Guam and American Samoa.

The Spark M. Matsunaga VA Ambulatory Care Center is located adjacent to Tripler Army Medical Center and provides outpatient primary medical care, mental health, pharmacy, dental care and specialized outpatient care. Treatment programs include day care, geriatric evaluation and management, as well as several medical specialty clinics staffed by VA and University of Hawaii physicians. Many of these services are located at Tripler AMC as part of a VA-DoD Joint Venture.

Long-term and transitional rehabilitative care services are provided by a VA-operated, 60-bed Community Living Center, located on the Tripler grounds.

Besides treatment in a hospital setting, the Center provides extensive geriatric care through outpatient programs, including contract adult day care, homemaker health aide, home-based primary care, and community nursing home placement.