Official websites use .mil
Secure .mil websites use HTTPS
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Twentynine Palms hosted its annual command process improvement fair on March 13, 2026, highlighting innovation, collaboration and a shared commitment to improving care for warfighters and beneficiaries.
The event brought together 27 project teams from across the command, a notable increase from 16 submissions in 2025, reflecting growing engagement and a culture that prioritizes continuous improvement and operational excellence.
“The fair offers an opportunity for staff to share innovative solutions that improve patient care, readiness and operational efficiency,” said Tanya Stuckey, improvement sciences lead and event organizer. “It reinforces a culture of continuous improvement and empowers our team to solve real problems using Lean Six Sigma principles, a data-driven approach focused on reducing waste, improving processes and enhancing quality.”
Participants followed a structured process improvement approach, identifying challenges affecting quality, safety or efficiency, analyzing data, implementing solutions and measuring outcomes. Projects were then presented and evaluated based on impact, sustainability and alignment with strategic priorities.
“This year’s fair showed increased engagement, diverse applications and greater collaboration across departments,” Stuckey said. “The increased number of projects and leadership involvement demonstrated how process improvement is becoming more embedded in our daily operations.”
Cmdr. William “Bill” Lawson, interim executive officer who served as acting commanding officer during the event, emphasized the breadth and impact of this year’s submissions.
“I was truly impressed by the true diversity in all of the projects,” Lawson said. “So many areas and departments were represented, from patient care initiatives to administrative overhauls to help ease processes. It was apparent that our team is committed to owning their spaces and finding areas where we can continue to make things better for our patients and staff.”
Taking first place was the Directorate for Healthcare Business’ Clear and Legible Reports (CLR) Worklist Project, led by referral coordinator Jazlyn Antoinette Tharp from Jacksonville, North Carolina. The project addressed inefficiencies in tracking and completing referral documentation required to close the loop between military treatment facilities and network providers.
“The referral management team at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms struggled to keep up with the CLR process set by Defense Health Agency (DHA) referral management,” Tharp said. “Reports from DHA data analysts showed that completion rate of the CLR process averaged approximately 55 percent.”
Facing challenges that included disorganized referrals, overuse of reporting systems and outdated standard operating procedures, the team developed a streamlined worklist for each step of the process within PowerChart.
“Through the development of worklists for each of the CLR steps, the team was able to not only resolve our challenges, but we improved our completion rate from 55 percent to 99 percent within one month,” Tharp said.
The improvement proved sustainable, maintaining a 99% completion rate for several months and influencing process changes in other areas such as booking procedures and patient tracking.
Lawson noted the broader impact of the project across the command.
“Healthcare business is an area that touches just about every aspect of the hospital, but not everyone may see that as they make things happen in the background,” Lawson said. “Getting our clear and legible reports back from our network partners is vital to ensure that our beneficiary’s medical records are complete and the referring providers have the referral loop closed.”
For Tharp and her team, the recognition carried personal and professional significance.
“Winning the award means a lot to me and our team,” she said. “For me, the biggest takeaway is that I wanted to showcase that process improvement can happen at any age, role, or department—anyone can make a difference to the lives of our service members and beneficiaries.”
The winning team also included Victoria Moore, utilization manager; Lt. Cmdr. Charles Brinegar, project sponsor; and Therese Weseman, lead case manager.
Second place was awarded to the Orthopedics and General Surgery Department for the Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT): Reducing Time, Resources, and Recovery project, led by Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Kaitlyn D. Miller. Working alongside Miller were Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Niquole Lorenzo, Hospitalman Apprentice Lesly Sierra, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class James Becton and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Evan Knisley, whose collective efforts helped implement the technique and streamline care delivery.
Traditionally performed in the operating room under general anesthesia, these procedures required coordination across multiple departments and extended patient recovery times. By shifting to WALANT techniques, the team reduced reliance on surgical and post-anesthesia care unit staff while maintaining patient safety.
The result was a three-hour reduction in patient hospital time per case and more efficient use of operating room resources, demonstrating how innovation in clinical practice can directly improve both patient experience and operational readiness.
Third place went to the Laboratory Department for their Revolutionizing Blood Product Release: A Laboratory’s Journey to Efficiency project, led by Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Meosha Williams. The project team, which included Lt. Cmdr. Clara Pangco and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Reece Curry, focused on resolving critical deficiencies in the blood product release process that had previously resulted in regulatory findings and delays during emergency situations.
Through a comprehensive improvement plan that included workflow redesign, updated standard operating procedures, new training protocols and the implementation of liquid plasma to eliminate thaw times, the team achieved a 38% reduction in product release time during massive transfusion protocols.
This improvement not only enhanced patient safety during critical emergencies but also restored compliance and strengthened the reliability of the laboratory’s operations.
Across all submissions, the fair underscored a common theme: innovation driven from within the workforce. From administrative processes to direct patient care, Sailors and civilian staff demonstrated a willingness to challenge existing systems and implement solutions that improve outcomes. Events like the command process improvement fair reinforce Navy Medicine’s commitment to continuous improvement—strengthening processes, enhancing patient safety and access to care, and building a more agile, learning organization that is better equipped to meet the evolving needs of warfighters and beneficiaries.
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 7700 Arlington Blvd. Ste. 5113 Falls Church, VA 22042-5113 This is an official U.S. Navy website This is a Department of Defense (DoD) Internet computer system. General Navy Medical Inquiries (to Bureau of Medicine and Surgery): usn.ncr.bumedfchva.list.bumed---pao@health.mil