OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Effective Oct. 1, 2022 the Osan Emergency Department will reorganize as an Urgent Care Clinic. This administrative change will result in no services lost at Osan but will ensure proper manning and funding for the 51st Medical Group.
“Our primary mission is to sustain a medically ready force that is able to respond to contingency operations, while also delivering reliable care to our families and the base community,” said Col. Jennifer Vecchione, commander, 51st Medical Group. “Our mission doesn’t change with the re-designation.”
The UCC reclassification will align the Osan medical group to other similar locations in the Pacific theater. This change will upgrade Osan’s ambulance transport services with the addition of an Advanced Life Support capability and six paramedics expected to arrive in 2023. All Tricare beneficiaries will be covered by the UCC and the UCC will remain open 24-hours a day.
When seeking care, patients are encouraged to use the medical group appointment line, Tricare Online and the Military Health System Nurse Advice Line to schedule an appointment with their primary care managers. The UCC should be used when a patient requires immediate care within 24 hours, after hours, or is emergent enough to require a transfer to a higher level of care.
“Our goal is to promote patient connections to their primary care managers,” said Lt. Col. Susan Joseph, commander, 51st Healthcare Operations Squadron. “We urge patients to make appointments with their PCMs as soon as possible and not wait for conditions to worsen before seeking care.”
PCMs can grant profiles, prescribe medications, and place off-base referrals for specialty care, whereas the UCC can offer an immediate response to urgent conditions. The 51 MDG will continue to respond to all on-base emergencies, call 031-661-9111, while the Korean Emergency System responds to off-base emergencies, call 119.