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Tinker clinic has orthopedics unit

  • Published
  • By Mike W. Ray
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Tinker's 72nd Medical Group is standing up an orthopedics unit at the base's new clinic, Bldg. 1094.

"We have the equipment and the surgeons, but not the entire staff yet," said Lt. Col. Kevin Wright, commander of the 72nd Medical Operations Squadron. However, the unit does have four surgeons; a nurse, Tijuana Raphel; and a manning assistant, Master Sgt. Luis Contreras from Nellis AFB, who has been helping out for several weeks but will return to Nevada soon.

The orthopedics unit performs outpatient services, such as setting fractures, splinting and bracing, casts, injections and minor procedures. Orthopedics shares the clinic with General Surgery, which performs endoscopies (colonoscopies) and other minor procedures in the clinic.

Major surgery on patients from Tinker AFB is performed at the Integris hospital in Edmond or at HMA's Midwest Regional Hospital in Midwest City. "We have agreements with Midwest Regional and with Integris for shared services," Colonel Wright said. The 72nd MDG clinic "is not designed nor equipped for surgical procedures," the colonel said.

The base's new 171,000-square-foot medical center provides 2,000 square feet of floor space for the orthopedic unit plus 5,600 square feet for the general surgery clinic, both on the second floor of the new building. The orthopedics clinic has multiple exam rooms and doctors' offices, an employee break room, and an emergency-room area for disaster preparedness. The endoscopy suite was stood up just recently, and was "a significant achievement," Colonel Wright said.

The new 72nd MDG clinic replaces the aged facility, Bldg. 5801, which was razed soon after the new clinic opened last July.

The general surgeons in the orthopedics clinic are Maj. (Dr.) Loyal Stierlen and Capt. (Dr.) Nicholas Davis. The two orthopedic surgeons are Lt. Col. (Dr.) Dennis Bond and Lt. Col. (Dr.) John Wheeler.

Drs. Bond and Wheeler both were graduated from the Air Force Academy, and both completed their orthopedic residence at Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Wheeler was graduated from medical school at the University of South Carolina; Dr. Bond, from The Uniform Services University of Health Sciences.

Dr. Bond is an orthopedic surgeon and is chief of Orthopedic Services for the 72nd MDG; he received his medical board certification in 2006. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004-05; to Indonesia for earthquake relief efforts, in 2009; and to Afghanistan from August 2010 to March 2011.

Drs. Wheeler and Bond both are generalists in sports injury orthopedics. They treat "all kinds" of fractures, Colonel Wright said, and Dr. Bond does "a lot" of joint replacements. Both men are trained in robotic-assisted surgery, especially in total knee or hip replacements.

They also provide injections that "extend the longevity of the joints" and provide relief for arthritis sufferers, Dr. Bond said. The injections, for elbows, ankles, knees and shoulders alike, "coat the inside of the joint" and "augment the cartilage," he said.

Dr. Bond said he and Dr. Wheeler visit the University of Oklahoma's Department of Orthopedics on a regular basis. "We meet with them for advice and continuing medical education," he explained.

"We're making progress and closing loopholes in the services we provide," Colonel Wright said.

The colonel said he's considering a "manpower sharing" agreement with Reynolds Army Hospital at Fort Sill in Lawton. "We have excess capacity and they have only one doctor," he said. "Their other doctor is deployed." Reynolds has a need for physicians but not enough doctors to accommodate patient demand. Consequently, Tinker would send one or two of its doctors to RAH to help out once or twice a week until Reynolds's second doctor returns to Fort Sill, Colonel Wright said.