FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Certain medical services on Fort Campbell are consolidating as Blanchfield Army Community Hospital adapts to the absence of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and 101st Sustainment during their deployments.

In addition to the deployments, BACH has seen low demand for certain specialty services, and a pending repair to their sterilization processing equipment has reduced surgeries performed on the installation.

“As healthcare needs evolve, we’re adapting how we deliver care while strengthening our connections with community providers,” Col. Samuel Preston, BACH commander, told Clarksville Now.

Temporary closures

For the temporary closures, it’s all about supply and demand, Preston said.

“Let’s use the pharmacy as an example. We have the Combat Aviation Brigade that’s deployed and a portion of our Sustainment Brigade that’s at the southern border. That is the population that would have used (Byrd Army Health Clinic) pharmacy.”

Preston said that following the significant population shift, the two employees working at the Byrd Pharmacy were filling only about 100 prescriptions every day, most of those over-the-counter medications like Motrin and Tylenol. In order to meet demand, combat wait times and streamline services, the employees were reallocated to Town Center Pharmacy, which Preston says fills over 1,000 prescriptions a day.

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“We have limited resources, and we have to make sure that we use those resources where they add the most value,” Preston said. “Once the CAB and Sustainment Brigade come back, we plan on reopening, as long as it makes sense from an economic, supply and demand standpoint.”

In addition, specialty services like Nuclear Medicine have been temporarily closed, and Sleep Medicine staffed beds have been reduced from six to two. According to Preston, this decision was made due to lack of demand, and sufficient community access.

On-post surgeries moved off post

According to Preston, about 3,500 patients every year require surgeries on Fort Campbell. This year, however, the number of surgeries being performed is significantly lower.

In October 2024, BACH personnel noticed that their Sterile Processing Department (SPD) equipment wasn’t sterilizing their tools to the standard, leaving water spotting on the surgical equipment. This equipment never made it within range of patients, Preston said, much less used for operations. BACH was able to determine that the water spots did not contain any traces of infection, bacteria, or contagions that could harm patients, however, they want to remedy this issue before taking on a higher volume of non-essential surgeries.

Currently, BACH is leaning on community partners to help accommodate their patients’ surgical needs. However, there have been some patients who require non-essential surgeries who have elected to wait until BACH is able to perform their procedures.

Currently, only a handful of surgeries are being offered on post, specifically Labor and Delivery and Urology-related procedures.

According to BACH, while there isn’t a fixed date and pending continued smooth installation, mobile SPD trailers are expected to be fully functional within a few weeks, enabling a full return to on-site sterilization and full use of robotics-assisted surgical equipment.

“Despite these challenges, our team has ensured continuity of safe surgical care, and we continue to maintain our Leapfrog ‘A’ safety rating because the expectation for clinical services at Blanchfield is healthcare excellence, without compromise,” Preston said.

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