Access to medical care in weather events

  • Published
  • By Amber Baillie
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  In the event of adverse or inclement weather here, patients with appointments at the 10th Medical Group should call the Colorado Springs Medical Health System for the latest information on medical facility or base closure.

The clinics and hospitals at the Academy, Peterson Air Force Base and Fort Carson are a part of the system, referred to as the "market." When patients call the center, they'll receive an update on weather delays, closures and have the option to cancel or reschedule their appointment.

"We care about our patients and want to meet their needs," said Maj. Mike David, 10th MDG group practice manager. "Patients should call the appointment line during bad weather to confirm if a facility is open to avoid an unnecessary trip."

The call center is open from 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; they're closed on holidays and weekends. If the call center closes, a message on the appointment line will provide instructions on how to make an appointment or contact a provider.

From a centralized location at the health systems' offices, the Patient Appointing Services call center books appointments and handles calls for more than 172,000 beneficiaries through the market's 524-CARE line. Due to the high number of calls they receive, David suggests patients not wait for a representative to call them.

"The number of appointments booked at one time among the Academy, Peterson and Fort Carson can be a challenging situation," David said. "We recommend patients call the center to receive information sooner."

If a medical facility in the market closes due to weather conditions or otherwise, patients can speak with a nurse from the national Nurse Advice Line by calling 534-CARE, option 2, or with the on-call provider using option 4.

"The national Nurse Advice line is open 24 hours a day," David said. "Also, all of the clinics in the market include an list of providers available after hours for TriCare beneficiaries to speak to."

For the latest information on delayed reporting and base closure visit the Academy's Facebook or Twitter pages. Academy Airmen can sign-up for the AtHoc alert system or call 333-2800 or 333-6249 for Academy road conditions.