Defense Health Agency Director U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland spoke at the Department of the Air Force Spouses conference, held at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, March 23. With an audience of spouses from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, she shared how the Military Health System serves as a global integrated health care system for military families.

Crosland informed spouses on recent updates to DHA programs and answered questions on how best to help families of airmen and guardians. She discussed DHA’s focus on mission readiness and overseeing the health care delivery system worldwide.

“The biggest thing we do for the Department of Defense is run the health care system, both inside our MTFs and with managed care support contractors. That is the most important thing we do … we support communities in the world,” she said. “Every health care system is about improving health. We want our patients to be healthy and live a good quality of life. And if they’re not healthy, we want to restore their health … if we improve health, we will [have] readiness.”

Crosland discussed the importance of telehealth and the evolution and digitalization of the MHS.

“Our patients will put on wearables, will stay in their homes, and will communicate virtually,” said Crosland. “We’ve got to move in a more deliberate direction, leveraging technology and innovation in a way to bring greater value to not just our patients, but to the people in the system providing that care. And that’s what digitalization is getting after.”

She also shared that the future of DHA will focus on a person-centered health care system within an ecosystem of overall patient wellness.

“In three years, we’re going to demonstrate the way ahead, [putting] patients at the center of the system,” said Crosland. “People that we have given tools to that allow them to be well. And health is just one dimension of wellness. In that ecosystem, you have nutrition, you have finance, you have spiritual, you have community, you have connectedness, you have other things in this world that contribute to your wellness as a person. And there are tools and technology in the health space that we can put in the hands of people so that they can develop and be part of it.”