In conjunction with a visit to the Pacific Northwest, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, Defense Health Agency director, was hosted at Naval Hospital Bremerton for a familiarization tour, meet-and-greet with command leadership and the opportunity to address active duty, civil service and contractor staff members.

With sincere sentiments and candid comments, Crosland spoke to a packed auditorium audience primarily comprised of U.S. Navy personnel, June 8, 2023.

“I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you for the last three/four years which was extremely challenging with the no-kidding pandemic that affected our entire military health system. You were asked to go above and beyond, and you did just that with less than you deserved, and you did it consistently. Thank you,” said Crosland.



DHA is an integrated health system and multi-faceted organization, and mission readiness takes precedence. Supporting that is the combined efforts from DHA’s varying, overlapping disciplines of joint medical logistics, research and development, global public health, education and training, and the Joint Trauma System.

Crosland emphasized her mission, vision and priorities, affirming that the DHA supports the nation by improving health and continuing to build readiness.

“At the end of the day the most important thing that the DHA does for the Department of Defense is to run a high-quality, successful health delivery system. When we do this, we build readiness and make extraordinary experiences ordinary and exceptional outcomes routine. This statement is not just a bumper sticker, we do this every day without seeing it in true context,,” stressed Crosland.

“I doubt many of you have a full appreciation of how extraordinary it was to actually execute the way you did during the pandemic and Operation Allied Refuge,” Crosland continued. “You did all of that during the throes of [Force Protection Condition] Delta, every bed at an MTF full, teams in civilian hospitals across the U.S., while we continued hospital-based training and graduate medical education, all the day-today stuff you have to do to run a system. We did all of that and nobody noticed. That is what is extraordinary.”

The DHA vision is an unrelenting pursuit of excellence in caring for the nation’s joint force and those we are privileged to serve. Anytime, anywhere – always.



DHA priorities are to enable combat support to the joint force in competition, crisis or conflict; build a modernized, integrated and resilient health delivery system; [with] dedicated and inspired teams of professionals driving military health’s next evolution.


The DHA formally established the Puget Sound Military Health System Market to oversee, manage and support all Army, Navy and Air Force medical and dental assets in the Pacific Northwest, December 2021. The transition of all administrative and management functions at NHB to DHA was completed in 2022 after being put on temporary hold due to major efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19 for several years.

The conversion process also officially shifted many civil service staff members to become DHA civilian employees, with active duty personnel assigned to Navy Readiness Training Command Bremerton. The entire transfer process - known as the Realignment of Personnel, Property and Systems – was part of a congressional mandate to merge military hospitals and clinics to the DHA to create a resilient, cohesive, and connected military health system.

What the entire realignment transition process has meant for the approximately 284,000 active duty service members, retirees and family in the greater Puget Sound region – including over 80,000 eligible in NHB’s area alone – is they all have standardized care at Madigan Army Medical Center, Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor, Air Force’s 62nd Medical Squadron and NHB.



“When you’re running a health care system, that takes work, particularly when you don’t have everything you need, when you need it. We absolutely have to be unrelenting in our pursuit of excellence,” shared Crosland.

Each MTF is linked via the Department of Defense electronic health record, MHS GENESIS, to enhance teamwork and collaboration between all services in providing patient-centered care to all eligible beneficiaries. DHA has standardized processes like appointments and referrals to ensure no matter where service members and their families go, care will be consistent.

“What you do every day brings value and makes a difference,” stated Crosland. “What makes us unique is who we care for, the joint force, those who are privileged to serve, our beneficiaries. Everybody here is part of who we serve as part of a team. We get to do that anytime, anywhere, always.”