New Reid Clinic to service Air Force basic, tech training Published May 11, 2016 By Capt. Michael Zimmer 559th Medical Group JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- With an expected completion date of May 2018, the 59th Medical Wing’s new Reid Clinic will enhance health care delivery for the 80,000 patients on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The $35.2 million project will reflect the 559th Medical Group’s mission of optimizing trainee readiness and patient-centered care through collaborative health delivery, education, training, and research. Construction on the two-story, 80,000 square-foot, state of the art facility is set to begin in December. “The new Reid Clinic will consolidate most medical care for Airmen in Air Force basic military and technical training. Instead of being spread out at three locations, routine medical care will occur in one location on JBSA-Lackland,” said Col. Verne Futagawa, 559th MDG commander. “We'll provide our trainees with the safest and best quality health care available. Our goal is to return them medically fit, in an expeditious manner, so they can continue with their training program,” said Futagawa. In addition to supporting basic and technical training, the 559th MDG delivers primary and operational health care services to more than 130 units on JBSA-Lackland, including students from around the world studying at the Defense Language Institute English Language Center and the Inter-American Air Forces Academy. The current 52,000 square-foot facility has served as the gateway for medical care at basic training for 49 years. All enlisted Airmen have spent time in the building, which is named after Senior Master Sgt. David Reid, who died in a C-130 Hercules aircraft crash in 1985. “All enlisted members begin their career receiving care in Reid,” said Lt. Col. Gwendolyn A. Foster, 559th Trainee Health commander. The new Reid Clinic will be built across from its current location on Hughes Avenue. Construction for the facility is founded on evidence-based design (EBD) principles. EBD uses a scientific method – presents a hypothesis, tests it in various ways, reports the results – to determine ways in which individual elements of the building environment affect people and performance. The new clinic’s design and construction will: • create a patient-centered environment; • improve the quality and safety of health care; • create a positive work environment design for maximum standardization, future flexibility and growth; • incorporate green, environmentally friendly aspects and minimize the energy consumption footprint; • and reduce facility life-cycle costs. “Not everyone knows the mission of the 559th MDG, but everyone knows Reid. At Reid, it is about providing the highest quality care possible, and the men and woman who serve at Reid will continue to do just that,” Foster said. For more information about the 59th MDW, visit www.59mdw.af.mil.