U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, director of the Defense Health Agency, shared her vision for DHA’s future, her priorities, and the growing role of technology during remarks presented at the annual meeting of AMSUS, the society for federal health professionals, held in National Harbor, Maryland. The theme of the AMSUS meeting was “Healthcare Collaboration: Meeting the Challenges of Today and Tomorrow.”
“The first priority of the MHS is to keep the force healthy and ready to get out the door,” said Crosland. “The second priority is to keep the medical force trained and ready to get out the door with them. The third priority is for the agency to run platforms to receive casualties, and the fourth priority is the benefit.”
Crosland joined the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the surgeons general of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force, the Joint Staff Surgeon, and the president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in a plenary discussion highlighting the mission of the Military Health System and the future of military medicine.
Crosland explained that the MHS does not exist apart from the broader U.S. health care system.
“We’re part of it,” she said. “Our future is dependent on understanding that system. Partnering where it makes sense. Building and sustaining our own capacity where we must.”
Crosland joined her colleagues in emphasizing the unique nature of military medicine, both the challenges and opportunities.
“Whether that’s at sea, in small unit operations, in disaster assistance or humanitarian operations, we don’t have the luxury of waiting to see what others do,” said Crosland. “We need to be leaders in exploring how to care for our people using technology that is available today, and that can be scaled tomorrow.”
Crosland, who became DHA’s fourth director in its 10-year history on Jan. 3, 2023, also addressed the ongoing digital transformation at the DHA.