Military leaders cut ribbon on new SAMMC tower Published Oct. 12, 2011 By Maria Gallegos Brooke Army Medical Center Public Affairs FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS -- San Antonio Military Medical Center leaders officially opened their newest addition, the Consolidated Tower, or COTO, during a ribbon cutting ceremony here Oct. 7, 2011. The addition of the new 760,000-square-foot tower was necessary to provide new clinical and administrative space to accommodate additional patients and employees as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure program. Maj. Gen. M. Ted Wong, commanding general of BAMC and Southern Regional Medical Command; Maj. Gen. Byron C. Hepburn, commander of the 59th Medical Wing; and Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and director of TRICARE Management Activity; were the guest speakers of the event. "We are nearing the end of a long journey [construction began in 2009], as we write a new chapter for military medicine in San Antonio," Wong said. "This tower is the Army's and Department of Defense's newest and most advanced medical treatment facility." Dr. Woodson said that the ceremony meant more than a symbolic gesture; it also symbolized the two services working together to achieve the best military medical center within the DoD. "While the ribbon cutting today may seem a symbolic gesture, it's really more than that. You're reminding the American people that San Antonio is an example of what can be achieved. Regardless of chains of command and the color of our uniforms, we have leaders with passion and the commitment to work together," said Woodson. "We must thank the Air Force and Army medical personnel who will now, through their dedication to duty and teamwork, transition this physical structure into a premier military medical center," said Hepburn. "This center will excel in the years ahead because of the Air Force and Army medics working together as true wingmen and battle buddies." The new state-of-art tower provides an additional 102 inpatient beds and includes expansions to the emergency department and the U.S. Army Institute for Surgical Research Burn Center; new and additional locations for outpatient clinics; intensive care units, a behavioral health inpatient unit, and nursing units; as well as 15 operating rooms and additional administrative space. The tower includes a rooftop helipad to facilitate emergency treatment, the only one in the DoD, the only DoD Bone Marrow transplant unit and hematology/oncology clinic. With the addition of the tower, SAMMC becomes the largest inpatient hospital in the DoD, the only DoD Burn Center and the only DoD Level 1 Trauma Center in the United States. SAMMC services include 425 staffed inpatient beds (116 ICU beds and 309 ward beds); 32 operating rooms for inpatients and ambulatory surgery; a Level 1 trauma/emergency room; medical, pediatric and surgical subspecialty clinics; primary care; labor/delivery/recovery ward; adult, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units; bone marrow transplant unit and hematology/oncology clinic and cardio-vascular, maternal-fetal, battlefield health and trauma centers of excellence. "The new construction at SAMMC provides us state-of-the-art facilities and equipment which will enhance patient care," Wong said. "But it's the people who make our organization strong ... dedicated and talented Army, Air Force personnel and civilian staff. Together with General Hepburn and our teammates from Wilford Hall, we will continue to provide the highest quality patient-centered healthcare in a safe and caring environment that best serves our deserving patients ... the nation's Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen; their families and retired service members." USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)