FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Col. Vincent B. Myers is scheduled to relinquish duties as U.S. Army Medical Department Activity Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Blanchfield Army Community Hospital Commanding Officer to Col. Samuel L Preston, during a change of command ceremony on Fort Campbell, Aug. 4.

Myers assumed command of BACH June 28, 2021, and led the hospital during an unprecedented period as COVID-19 disrupted traditional methods of healthcare administration and delivery.

Continuous transition of hospital personnel mirrors any other military-led organization as Myers worked continuously with hiring leaders to help improve the timeliness of onboarding new team members. During his command, more than 580 new personnel onboarded with the medical team.

During his leadership, BACH opened a renovated ICU and incorporated a Tele-ICU program in cooperation with Naval Medical Center San Diego and Brooke Army Medical Center.

During his command, the Campbell Army Airfield Medical Home consolidated inside Byrd Soldier Medical Home and later the clinic next to Campbell Army Airfield opened as Behavioral Health North, adding a sixth Embedded Behavioral Health team on Fort Campbell.

Inpatient Behavioral Health expanded to 12 beds as additional personnel were hired to support more active-duty Soldiers.

He redefined BACH’s relationship with Fort Campbell and its tenant units, developing and fostering an unprecedented level of trust, achieving some of the highest medical readiness rates for more than 24,000 Soldiers on Fort Campbell.

Under Myers, the BACH team proved an invaluable asset to the Total Force through its medical mission at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. During Exercise Pershing Strike ’21, BACH led medical and dental readiness screening for more than 1,000 Reserve Soldiers on the Mobilization Force Generation Installation, while simultaneously implementing COVID-19 mitigation and testing measures. BACH personnel also provided oversight and medical support to the 7,000 Afghan displaced population in 2021.

Later, as the pandemic waned, Myers led his organization’s pivot, restoring traditional services and preventive care efforts to beneficiaries that had been paused during the height of the public health crisis.

In December of 2021, he formally led BACH’s administrative transition from Army Medicine to the Defense Health Agency and assumed a new and additional role as director of the Defense Health Agency’s Southwest Kentucky Market, responsible for healthcare delivery to more than 73,000 beneficiaries in the Fort Campbell, Kentucky and Rock Island, Illinois region and supporting more than 110,000 eligible beneficiaries.

“Colonel Myers’ focus on establishing partnerships in the Clarksville and Nashville communities laid the foundation for support of clinical care and training opportunities for many years to come,” said Brig. Gen. Mary V. Krueger, commanding general, Medical Readiness Command, East, and chief of U.S. Army Medical Corps.

Through the Army Medical Skills Sustainment Program, Myers negotiated agreements which place military trauma teams in Level 1 civilian trauma centers to fulfill clinical training requirements to optimize real-world training.

His coordination with TRICARE partners, Veterans Affairs, other federal health care organizations, and other health care partners improved both accesses to care and training opportunities essential for a ready medical Force.

Within the hospital’s own formation, Myers ensured BACH Soldiers completed U.S. Army Medical Command readiness requirements, executing rigorous, realistic readiness training in support of the required Individual Critical Task Lists, Army Combat Fitness Test, Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills, and Leader Professional Development. In July, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. R. Scott Dingle recognized Blanchfield as the number one unit for readiness and training in the MEDCOM.

The change of command begins at 10 a.m., Aug. 4 at Wilson Theater on Fort Campbell.

Col. Preston is a dual-board certified Family Medicine and Psychiatry Army Medical Corps Officer. His previous assignments include 4th Infantry Division Psychiatrist, U.S. Army Division – North and Iraq Joint Operational Area Command Psychiatrist, Chief of the Fort Carson Embedded Behavioral Health Service, Schofield Barracks Installation Director of Psychological Health, Associate faculty of Tripler Psychiatry and Psychology Residencies, Regional Health Command – Atlantic Director of Psychological Health, Regional Health Command – Atlantic Deputy Chief of Staff, Commander, Hohenfels Army Health Clinic, and Chief of the Office of the Surgeon General Behavioral Health Division.

Media and others are invited to watch the live stream on Blanchfield Army Community Hospital’s YouTube Channel using the following link: https://www.youtube.com/c/bachpao In the event the live streaming is disrupted, the link to the ceremony will be provided later that day.