Medical Care

Bassett Army Community Hospital at Fort Wainwright is the primary medical treatment facility for Soldiers, family members and retirees and their families. A number of civilian hospitals and civilian specialists augment the military facilities to provide complete medical care for personnel in Alaska.

Emergency ambulance service is available on a 24-hour basis on all posts and bases in Alaska for activeduty members and their families residing on a post or base. For active duty, dependents and retirees eligible for care living off-post or off base in Fairbanks, dialing 911 can access this service. Callers should be prepared to provide their name and phone number, location of patient, number and gender of patients and the nature of the illness or injury.

A parent must accompany dependent minors in order for them to receive treatment of any kind, unless a dire emergency exists. Parents who leave their children with friends while traveling out of the local area should always obtain a limited power of attorney from Legal Assistance, authorizing a responsible person to consent to medical care for their children.

All family members are required to be screened for enrollment in the Exceptional Family Member Program before being granted command sponsorship in Alaska. Availability of specialized medical care is limited in Alaska, so some medical problems cannot be supported here. For information about screening or the medical aspects of EFMP, contact the EFMP medical chief at BACH at 361- 1269. MEDDAC-AK is the headquarters for BACH and is located in Building 4066, adjacent to the old hospital.

MEDDAC-AK also operates the Fort Wainwright Community Mental Health Services and the Drug and Alcohol Counseling service. Services provided by this department include individual and family counseling in a wide range of social areas. These include stress management, alcohol and drug abuse therapy and family relations. Information on these services can be obtained by calling 361-6059 or 361-6284 for social work services.

Fort Wainwright Medical Care
The hub of medical care for the more than 20,000 military beneficiaries north of the Alaska Range, Bassett Army Community Hospital serves personnel from Fort Wainwright, Fort Greely, Eielson Air Force Base, Clear Air Force Station and all other eligible beneficiaries. The TRICARE office is in the main hospital. The hospital is staffed with a team of doctors, nurses, Soldiers and civilians who provide a wide range of services, including family practice, internal medicine, general surgery, obstetricgynecological care, otolaryngology (ENT/ audiology), orthopedics, anesthesia, optometry, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, radiology, laboratory services and pediatrics.

Another essential service provided by BACH personnel is preventive medicine. This service addresses community health issues, occupational health services, environmental health and industrial hygiene. Preventive medicine is responsible for all sanitary inspections and some safety inspections for child-care providers on Fort Wainwright. Information on these services can be obtained by calling 361-5182. BACH also provides dietician/nutrition care services to the Fort Wainwright community and employs a staff dietician who can assist personnel with weight reduction information and dietetics counseling. Appointments can be made through the central appointment line at 361-4000.

Most active duty family members at Fort Wainwright use the Kamish Family Practice Clinic and are assigned a primary care manager if they are enrolled in TRICARE Prime. Kamish Clinic is located in Building 3406 (next to Burger King). Urgent medical care is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the emergency room at BACH. Anyone who believes they need immediate medical attention will be seen in the emergency room. Patients with minor medical problems or problems of a long-standing nature should be seen by their assigned primary care manager during regular duty hours. Call 361-4000 for an appointment with your PCM.

Dental Care
In Alaska, comprehensive dental care is provided for all active duty personnel. Active duty family members should be enrolled in the TRICARE Family Member Dental Plan administered by United Concordia Companies Inc. Many local dentists are participating providers in the UCCI insurance program. A list of local providers can be obtained at your assigned post dental facility or through the UCCI Web site at www.ucci.com (click on TRICARE [TDP]). Family members should be enrolled for at least 60 days prior to making an appointment to be eligible for coverage. Responsibility for FMDP enrollment falls on the Soldier and should be directly coordinated with UCCI via the Web site, toll free at (800) 866-8499, or by mail.

Fort Wainwright
Fort Wainwright's Troop Dental Clinic is co-located with the Kamish Medical Clinic in Building 3406 on South Gate Road. Clinic hours for routine care are 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mon., Tue. and Wed., and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thur. and Fri. hours for routine care are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dental sick call is 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. The dental clinic is closed to routine appointments Thur. from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for military training. The telephone number for the Troop Dental Clinic is 353-2917. The Hospital Dental Clinic offers general dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery services. The clinic is located in Bassett Army Community Hospital. Clinic hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mon., Tue., Wed. and Friday, and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Sick call hours are 7:30 to 9 a.m. Examinations are conducted 7:30 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. daily. The clinic is closed for routine appointments Thur. from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to accommodate military training. The clinic phone numbers are 361-5135. Emergency dental care is available 24 hours a day.

During normal duty hours, individuals should report to their assigned dental clinic; after duty hours, report to the Bassett Army Community Hospital Emergency Room for evaluation and treatment. Acute emergencies, such as uncontrolled, excessive bleeding following oral surgery, facial swelling, fever associated with dental infection, oral lacerations, facial trauma and sudden severe toothache will be evaluated at any time, day or night. A parent or guardian must accompany minors (persons younger than 18 years of age) when requesting emergency dental care.

Fort Greely Medical Care
On Fort Greely, the Aid Station can be contacted at 873-4977.

Patient Appointments
Bassett Army Community Hospital on Fort Wainwright operates on a centralized appointment system for Primary Care (OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, and Internal Medicine) and Optometry clinics. To make an appointment, call 361-4000. If you cannot keep your appointment, please call and cancel at least 24 hours prior to the appointment. This will assist clinics in meeting the demand for appointments. If you fail to cancel, you will be considered a no-show. Patients should arrive 15 minutes early for all appointments. For all other appointment inquires or further information contact the hospital information desk at 361-5172. The Patient Advocate Office handles patient complaints and can be reached at 361-5291.

PREVENTIVE AND SELF CARE
Arctic Health Link
Mission: Health Promotion/Prevention through education and awareness.
Scope of Practice: To educate and promote healthy behaviors by encouraging all of our beneficiaries to take an active role in maintaining the health and well-being of themselves and their family. To decrease medical appointments by providing preventive health education along with community outreach programs to the Fort Wainwright populace. Arctic Health Link initiatives are based on the Healthy People 2000 and 2010 directives and utilize the National Health Observance Calendar. Other community outreach programs are provided as needed specific to Fort Wainwright's population-based data. Most importantly, we are the "link" for beneficiaries to other agencies on Fort Wainwright that provide community health resources and education. Arctic Health Link is located on the second floor of Fort Wainwright's Bassett Army Community Hospital.

Arctic Health Link offers an online, Self Care class to enable you to receive over the counter medications from your local MEDDAC pharmacy. This class provides an orientation to self-care tools noted in the "Take Care of Yourself" book and offers a brief overview of how to access health care at Fort Wainwright. Upon completion of this class, Tricare beneficiaries may obtain a select group of non-prescription medications - at no cost - from the pharmacy.

Arctic Health Link offers a series of traditional sessions in a classroom setting- Allergy and Asthma Class: This class, offered from 1:30 to 3 p.m., educates those with allergies and/or asthma on reducing the attacks while also reducing the need for medication and clinic visits.

Cholesterol Class: A two-hour class from 2 to 4:00 p.m., offers participants information on nutritional and physical fitness methods for reducing total cholesterol level/improving HDL/LDL ratio, while improving overall health.

Diabetes Class: This one and a half hour class is offered from 2 to 3:30 p.m., and provides participants information on nutritional and physical fitness methods for reducing blood glucose levels, while promoting overall health. Hypertension Class: This one hour class is offered from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., and provides participants information on nutritional and physical fitness methods for lowering blood pressure.

Tobacco Use Cessation Program: Each session consists of a one-time four-hour Thursday class from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., designed to educate and support those desiring to quit tobacco use. To schedule a class or for more information, call (907) 361-4148. Hours Of Operation: 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.