HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Tripler Army Medical Center, or TAMC, has made significant developments throughout the 2017 year.

THE BEST OF THE BEST AT TRIPLER

To begin, TAMC and the U.S. Army Health Clinic at Schofield Barracks were recognized in the Army patient satisfaction "Best of the Best" report, for five out of the six categories in outpatient services.

"Our staff truly believes in our mission of serving our patients and their families, and we consistently look for ways to improve the patient experience," said Col. Andrew M. Barr, TAMC commander.

TAMC STAYS AT THE FORFRONT OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT

Technological advancements have also been known to improve health care delivery, which is why Tripler relocated the military simulation (SIM) center to a new facility, in March, which quadrupled the workable space.

"We are very excited about the new space," said Phil Benson, TAMC medical simulation specialist. "The center is now capable of hosting multiple groups at once, which would never have been possible in the old space.

Some other notable renovations included an upgraded Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, which opened in April, offering spacious patient rooms to provide family integrated care and state-of-the-art technology with bedside booms that are mobile and adjustable.

Tripler unveiled the new and improved Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in November. New equipment featured the Philips' Allura Clarity system with ClarityIQ technology. It also provides high-quality imaging with low X-ray dose settings for a wide range of clinical procedures -- all while helping to better manage radiation exposure.

"All of these projects and the continued support of our facilities and maintenance staff support the excellent health care TAMC provides daily," said Barr.

INNOVATION IN MEDICAL CARE THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN MEDICAL RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The Graduate Professional Health Education program honored 122 health care professionals during a graduation ceremony, June 16.

"It is the Graduate Medical Education programs at Tripler that provide for the future readiness of our Army and its medical department," said Barr.

DELAYED EVACUATION CASUALTY MANAGEMENT COURSE

When it comes to treating a patient that has received a traumatic injury on the battlefield, timing does matter, and land operations in an unknown battlefield may require field care for hours or even days.

"This is incredible training for our medics who must be able to sustain life on the battlefield far past the 'Golden Hour,'" said TAMC Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Sloan.

PACIFIC REGIONAL TRIALS 2017

The Tripler Warrior Transition Battalion hosted the first-ever wounded warrior sports competition. About 80 wounded, ill or injured Soldiers and veterans from across the Pacific region trained and competed in eight adaptive sporting events at Schofield Barracks: swimming, track, field, shooting, archery, cycling, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.

"Your display … of resilience, empowerment and encouragement left us all inspired," said Lt. Col. Clyde L. Hill, commander of WTB-Hawaii.

LEADER DEVELOPMENT, READINESS AND COMMAND INITIATIVES

Leaders attended the globally recognized Arbinger training. The workshop, "Developing and Implementing an Outward Mindset," trains participants on the benefits of an outward mindset approach to creating an organizational culture that engages its people. The five-day Arbinger workshop further progressed TAMC toward becoming a High Reliability Organization, a commitment across the Military Health System to apply standards for patient safety and quality of care.

TAMC leaders highlight the Army's No. 1 priority, readiness, by developing the "Readiness Hibiscus." The five petals of the hibiscus represent quality, safety, service, satisfaction and access.

"Everything we focus on at Tripler focuses on readiness," said Barr, "not only keeping our warriors ready to go to war … but also our medical staff, here, to be able to provide care to our warriors wherever our nation calls them."

Leaders conduct rounds to further engage with staff members, identify best practices and areas for improvement and call this the "Gemba Walk." TAMC leaders take part in the "Gemba Walk," every morning from 8 to 10 a.m. (Gemba is the Japanese word for "where the work occurs.")

HEALTH CARE DELIVERY ACROSS THE REGION AND GLOBAL HEALTH ENGAGEMENTS

Besides care at TAMC, the center also provides care throughout the Pacific.

"What we do for the Pacific is really provide manpower and subject matter expertise, from a readiness perspective, to (U.S.) Pacific Command and U.S. Army-Pacific," said Barr. "We do that globally by providing, doctors, nurses and medics and other medical professionals that deploy globally to provide care to a number of locations. From a training perspective, we provide support to key training operations throughout the Pacific.

"We also support PACOM and USARPAC through Global Health Engagements by providing (SMEs) to our partner nations and (helping to) build medical and military capability and capacity with our partners inside the Pacific Rim."