The Med Group just keeps getting better! Published Feb. 16, 2012 By Brig. Gen. Anthony Cotton Commander, 45th Space Wing PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The Mighty Medics of the 45th Medical Group have been making a lot of headlines lately. They are coming out of two inspections - Health Services Inspection and Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care - where they received "best-ever" accolades and they also just received the Air Force Outstanding Patient Centered Medical Home Award. What's amazing is they did it while they were in the middle of major facility renovations. The original medical facility was built in 1966 and was designed to be a hospital. Once the Air Force moved to a clinic concept, many of the clinic functions had to be located in old patient and operating rooms, which were not ideal for modern medical practices. With the help of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a new $20.7 million renovation project was funded to renovate the 45-plus-year-old facility. Construction started in summer 2010 and was completed in January 2012. It was the second largest stimulus project in Brevard County. The official Grand Opening of the newly renovated space occurred Feb. 10 and I was proud to be part of the ribbon cutting ceremony. With its 30-percent-plus increase in space, state-of-the-art queuing and modern patient systems, the 45th Medical Group is now better equipped to provide the best possible support to our community. So next time you find yourself in need of a medical appointment, be glad you have the facilities and award-winning team to make your experience as painless as possible. Keep pushing, Sharks!