May, June, and July are months that remember and commemorate those who have served in our country’s armed forces. VE (Victory in Europe) Day, Memorial Day, D-Day, and Independence Day are all times to reflect on the sacrifices made by the brave men and women in our nation’s military.
KR Wolfe has had the privilege of serving those who serve through the work we have done and continue to do in military and VA hospitals. We have had the honor of installing state-of-the-art surgical imaging equipment, surgical lighting, equipment delivery systems, anesthesia delivery systems, cardio vascular operating rooms (CVOR’s), hybrid OR’s, equipment upgrades, and networked intercoms at Ft. Bliss, Ft. Bragg, Ft. Gordon, Ft. Stewart, Ft. Leonard Wood, St. Campbell, Ft. Wainwright, Ft. Jackson, Ft. Riley, Nellis Air Force Base, Keesler Air Force Base, Pensacola Naval Hospital, Travis Air Force Base, San Diego Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton, Ft. Sam Houston, West Point, Veteran Administration hospitals in several states and the world’s largest hospital ship, the USS Mercy.
The work we have done in these facilities has provided the technology and equipment needed for surgical teams to perform the amazing work they do restoring health to the men and women who have served in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard, and Coast Guard.
I have had the privilege of working at many of the facilities mentioned above. The one job that stands out most in my memory is the project at San Antonio Medical Center (SAMMC) at Ft. Sam Houston. SAMMC is one of the hospitals where the men and women injured in combat were taken to have their bodies repaired from the sacrifices they made in the Iraqi and Gulf wars. It was a heartbreaking place to work. It also drove home that freedom is not free. There is a real cost paid by very real people.
The project involved installing the latest technology in surgical imaging, which included fiber optic cabling, digital image routing equipment, high-def surgical monitors, and high-def endoscopy cameras. These innovative technologies enable the surgical teams at SAMMC to perform the miracles needed to transform the lives of the patients brought to them. We also installed a sophisticated networked intercom system that provides communication between OR’s which enabled:
- Surgical teams to talk to each other
- Communication to sterile processing so equipment could be delivered to the OR’s in record time
- Communication with the surgical control desk for effective coordination of OR scheduling, surgical team assignments, and OR turnover
At SAMMC, young men and women who have lost limbs and sustained injuries to internal organs are given a new lease on life through the equipment we installed. The intensive, often extensive, work performed on their bodies has brought about a quality of life that would not have otherwise been possible. It was a humbling experience and a distinct honor to be part of the installs at SAMMC, and the other facilities, as a way of giving back to those who have given all.
KR Wolfe is so much more than the equipment we install. We are transforming lives daily through the services we provide.
—David Plekkenpol
