59th Medical Wing

The 59th Medical Wing (59 MDW) is a wing of the United States Air Force assigned to Air Education and Training Command, stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

The 59 MDW is the Air Force's premier medical unit. It operates Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, which is now part of the San Antonio Military Healthcare Systems (SAMHS). The wing provides global medical readiness capability and comprehensive peacetime healthcare benefits through education, training and research. Previously referred to as SAMMC-South, this designation was dropped under agreement with the Army, and its name changed to Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgery Center.

The wing's original unit, the 59th Observation Group was formed in 1941 under 1st Air Support Command. Originally an antisubmarine patrol unit, the group later became a replacement training unit (RTU) for fighter pilots with its graduates assigned to another group for overseas assignment. The organization's official lineage begins in 1941, and by taking on the shield and ancestry of the 59th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1993, the center was able to save the history of a World War II unit and preserve its own World War II service.

Groups
59th Clinical Support Group 59th Dental Group 59th Medical Operations Group 59th Medical Support Group 359th Medical Group (former 12th) at Randolph 559th Medical Group (former 37th) at Lackland 959th Medical Group (former 59th Inpatient Operations Group)
 * 59th Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron
 * 59th Laboratory Squadron
 * 59th Pharmacy Squadron
 * 59th Dental Squadron
 * 59th Dental Support Squadron
 * 59th Dental Training Squadron
 * 59th Medical Support Speciality Squadron
 * 59th Medical Operations Squadron
 * 59th Surgical Operations Squadron
 * 59th Mental Health Squadron
 * 59th Radiology Squadron
 * 59th Surgical Specialty Squadron
 * 59th Medical Support Squadron
 * 59th Medical Logistics and Readiness Squadron
 * 359th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
 * 359th Dental Squadron
 * 359th Medical Operations Squadron
 * 359th Medical Support Squadron
 * 559th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
 * 559th Medical Operations Squadron
 * 959th Medical Operations Squadron
 * 959th Inpatient Operations Squadron
 * 959th Clinical Support Squadron

Clinical Departments


 * Anesthesiology
 * Audiology
 * Cardiology
 * Otorhinolaryngology
 * General Surgery
 * Neurosurgery
 * Ophthalmology
 * Refractive Surgery
 * Pediatrics
 * Plastic Surgery
 * Speech Pathology
 * Urology
 * Vascular Surgery
 * Emergency Medicine
 * Orthopedics
 * Podiatry
 * Occupational Therapy
 * Physical Medicine
 * Allergy-Immunology
 * Cardiothoracic Surgery
 * Dermatology
 * Endocrinology
 * Gastroenterology
 * Hematology-Oncology
 * Infectious Disease


 * Internal Medicine
 * Nephrology
 * Neurology
 * Pulmonary
 * Rheumatology
 * Mental Health
 * Psychiatry
 * Psychology
 * Neonatology
 * Obstetrics
 * Gynecology
 * Radiology
 * Pathology
 * Pharmacy
 * Hyperbaric Medicine
 * Nutritional Medicine
 * General Dentistry
 * Endodontic
 * Oral-Maxillofacial
 * Orthodontics
 * Periodontics
 * Prosthodontics
 * Aerospace Medicine
 * Preventative Medicine

Non-Clinical Departments
 * Family Advocacy
 * Health and Wellness Center (HAWK)
 * Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
 * Team HELP
 * Trainee Health

Lineage

 * Established as 59 Observation Group on 21 August 1941
 * Activated on 1 September 1941
 * Inactivated on 18 October 1942


 * Activated on 1 March 1943
 * Redesignated as: 59 Reconnaissance Group on 2 April 1943
 * Redesignated as: 59 Fighter Group on 11 August 1943
 * Disestablished on 1 May 1944


 * Redesignated as 59 Tactical Fighter Wing on 31 July 1985 but remained inactive
 * Consolidated (1 July 1993) with Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, which was first designated as the 3700 Medical Squadron on 25 August 1948
 * Organized on 26 August 1948
 * Redesignated as: 3700 Station Medical Squadron on 1 November 1948
 * Redesignated as: 3700 Medical Group on 27 June 1950
 * Redesignated as: 3700 USAF Hospital on 16 October 1953
 * Redesignated as: USAF Hospital, Lackland on 1 July 1958
 * Redesignated as: Wilford Hall USAF Hospital on 2 March 1963
 * Redesignated as: Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center on 1 July 1969
 * Redesignated as: 59 Medical Wing on 1 July 1993
 * Redesignated as: Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center on 15 September 2011

Assignments

 * I Air Support (later, I Ground Air Support) Command, 1 September 1941
 * First Air Force, 21 August – 18 October 1942
 * Third Air Force, 1 March 1943
 * III Fighter Command, by September 1943-1 May 1944
 * 3700 Basic Training Wing, 26 August 1948
 * Indoctrination Division, Air Training Command, 22 April 1949
 * 3700 AF Indoctrination Wing (later, 3700 Military Training Wing; Lackland Military Training Center), 28 October 1948


 * USAF Aerospace Medical Center, 1 October 1959
 * Attached to Aerospace Medical Division, 1 November 1961 – 14 April 1962


 * Aerospace Medical Division, 15 April 1962
 * Air Training Command, 15 January 1987
 * San Antonio Joint Military Medical Command, 16 February 1987
 * Air Training (later, Air Education and Training) Command, 1 October 1991–present

Components

 * 9 Observation (later, 9 Reconnaissance; 488 Fighter): 29 March 1942 - 18 October 1942; 1 March 1943 – 1 May 1944
 * 103 Observation: 1 September 1941 – 18 October 1942
 * 104 Observation (later, 104 Reconnaissance; 489 Reconnaissance; 489 Fighter): 1 September 1941 – 18 October 1942; 1 March 1943-1 May 1944
 * 119 Observation (later, 119 Reconnaissance; 490 Fighter): attached December 1941; assigned 1 March 1943 – 1 May 1944
 * 126 Observation (later, 126 Reconnaissance; 34 Photographic Reconnaissance): 1 September 1941 – 18 October 1942; 1 March – 11 August 1943.
 * 447 Fighter: 20 November 1943 – 1 May 1944.

Stations

 * Newark Airport, New Jersey, 1 September 1941
 * Fort Dix Army Airbase, New Jersey, 14 November 1941 – 18 October 1942
 * Fort Myers Army Airfield, Florida, 1 March 1943
 * Thomasville Army Airfield, Georgia, c. 30 March 1943 – 1 May 1944
 * Lackland AFB, Texas, 26 August 1948–present

Aircraft

 * BC-1A, 1941–1942
 * L-59, 1941–1942
 * O-46, 1941–1942
 * O-47, 1941–1942


 * O-49, 1941–1942
 * O-52, 1941–1942
 * P-39, 1943–1944
 * P-40, 1944.

Operations
The 59th Observation Group was established at Newark, New Jersey, in 1941. It moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey, later in the year. Following the US entry into World War II the Group engaged in antisubmarine patrols along the East coast of the United States from December 1941 – October 1943. Initially during 1941–42 the Group operated a wide range of aircraft, including the BC-1A, L-59, O-46, O-47, O-49 Vigilant, and O-52 Owl During 1943 and 1944 the group trained pilots using P-39 Airacobra aircraft and later, in 1944, the P-40 Warhawk as well. The unit was redesignated the 59th Reconnaissance Group on 2 April 1943, and again as the 59th Fighter Group on 11 August 1943. The 59th was inactivated on 1 May 1944. On 31 July 1985, the unit was redesignated the 59th Tactical Fighter Wing, but remained inactive. Finally, it was reactivated and consolidated with the Wilford Hall U.S. Air Force Hospital on 1 July 1993.

During the Korean War, the 3700th Medical Squadron developed a program to train basic trainees as medical corpsmen to ease shortage of medical personnel.

From 1983, Wilford Hall offered centralized outpatient care, a clinical investigation facility, the Air Force's largest dispensary system, and the only eye bank and organ transplant centers. The hospital accomplished important research work in neonatal medicine, surgical transplants, orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, immunology, and maxillofacial surgery. Clinical investigations research kept the wing at the forefront of development of high-frequency ventilation and extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation; new techniques for the care of premature infants; improved cancer treatments; bone banking and transplantation; laser photocoagulation; and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In December 1989, it provided medical support to casualties returning from operations in Panama. From 4 January to 21 March 1991 Wilford Hall deployed over 900 personnel to RAF Little Rissington, England, to establish a 1500-bed hospital in support of expected casualties from the Gulf War. In 1993 the Medical Center was redesignated the 59th Medical Wing, taking the lineage of the never-active 59th Tactical Fighter Wing.

Closure and realignment
The current building is projected for demolition in 2015, when it will be replaced with a state-of-the-art 680K square foot facility. Starting on September 15, Wilford Hall Medical Center was officially renamed to Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, the largest outpatient surgical center in the Air Force. Inpatient services are no longer provided at Lackland Air Force Base, but are centralized at nearby San Antonio Military Medical Center – formerly known as Brooke Army Medical Center, or BAMC, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Both facilities and all other military treatment facilitites in the San Antonio area fall under the San Antonio Military Healthcare System (SAMHS). Design of the four phase project is underway, and construction is for the new surgical center has already commenced.