Medical leaders break ground on Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center Published April 21, 2011 By Maj. Beth Horine 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- San Antonio military medical leaders conducted a groundbreaking ceremony of the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center April 20 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Construction on the new outpatient facility will soon begin. "We are here to celebrate a new beginning. Spurred by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure mandate, San Antonio's military facilities are now transitioning to a regional military health system to increase operational synergy and efficiency," said 59th Medical Wing Commander Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Byron Hepburn. "As a consequence, Wilford Hall's current inpatient activity is now moving to Brooke Army Medical Center, which on Sept. 15 will become the San Antonio Military Medical Center. This move paves the way for a new consolidated facility here at Lackland Air Force Base that will be focused on outpatient clinical and ambulatory surgical care," General Hepburn said. A joint Air Force and Army color guard opened the ceremony and Army leadership from Brooke Army Medical Center at Ft. Sam Houston attended, making the event a true joint-service affair. "The Army and Air Force have a rich history in continuing to lead the Department of Defense in premier medical care, said Army Col. Noel Cardenas, Brooke Army Medical Center deputy commander of administration. "Today marks another giant step in preserving our medical services for active duty, retirees and families." Phase one of the construction includes the first wing of a 681,000-square foot facility and a 1,000-car parking garage. The new ambulatory surgical center, or ASC, will be four wings, each three stories tall with a basement. The ASC will be constructed in three phases and house more than 40 outpatient clinics and services when completed. "Engineering and economic studies determined that the best means to execute this outpatient mission was to replace the 54-year-old Wilford Hall building with a new state- of-the-art structure," General Hepburn said. "The exterior campus and interior facilities will be ultramodern, patient-friendly, more accessible and more energy efficient." Construction on the first wing of the new ASC is scheduled to begin in July 2011 with completion projected in 2015. The current Wilford Hall Medical Center building will be demolished after the new ASC is complete and fully operational. "As part of preserving our rich heritage, the landscaping in front of the current Wilford Hall behind me here, including the flagpole and 100-year-old oak trees, will remain in front of the new ASC as a connection to our historical past," the general added. Both the ASC and the parking garage will be constructed in parking lot B and part of lot A, in front of the existing Wilford Hall Medical Center. The parking garage construction will soon begin, which drove the closure of part of the hospital parking lot and the Highway 90 gate. Future construction will soon close part of the Wilford Hall Loop between the Hwy 90 gate and Bergquist Drive. Patients and staff can obtain the latest news about construction and road closures on the Wilford Hall Medical Center web site at www.whmc.af.mil. Additionally, articles will be published in local military newspapers and posters are displayed at various locations in the hospital. "As we look forward to the future of military medicine here in San Antonio, the citizens of 'Military City USA' should be proud of the ambulatory surgical center here at Lackland and the San Antonio Military Medical Center that is nearing completion at Fort Sam Houston," General Hepburn said. "We are excited about the establishment of the San Antonio Military Health System and building an even stronger partnership with our Army colleagues in the years ahead."