Womack Army Medical Center welcomes new commander
FORT BRAGG — Womack Army Medical Center has had a new commander leading health care services at Fort Bragg for the past month.
Col. David Zinnante assumed command of the medical center July 6 during a command change ceremony from Col. Christopher Jarvis, who retired from the Army on July 22.
Zinnante was most recently chief of staff for the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
His more than 30 years of service in the Army has included being commander of the Fort Sill Medical Department Activity and Reynolds Army Health Clinic at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; commander of Kirk Army Health Clinic at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; force health protection officer for III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas and leading Fort Hood’s 22th Medical Detachment during Hurricane Katrina humanitarian support in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Zinnante is no stranger to Fort Bragg, previously serving as executive officer and group preventative medicine officer for the 7th Special Forces Group during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He was also deputy division surgeon, division environmental service officer and division preventative medicine officer for the 82nd Airborne Division during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom and was executive officer for the 714th Medical Detachment during Hurricane Mitch humanitarian support in Honduras.
“If you told me back in 2005, 17 years ago, that I would return to Fort Bragg as the commander of Womack I would not believe you,” Zinnante said.
Zinnante said he considers the job a privilege and an opportunity.
“To the Fort Bragg community, thank you for trusting us with your healthcare. All policies and procedures remain in effect,” he said.
He thanked Jarvis for his support during the transition.
Jarvis was commander of Womack Army Medical Center since July 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Womack, Jarvis said, has served as the largest testing center for the Department of Defense and issued more vaccines than any other installation.
During the pandemic, medical teams and vaccination teams also deployed “all over the country,” he said.
He said medical providers and soldiers juggled the pandemic along with ensuring force readiness as 82nd Airborne Division, 18th Airborne Corps and Special Forces soldiers deployed during the drawdown in Afghanistan last year.
A new medical system, Genesis, was also implemented, and Womack maintained its level III trauma center designation, while also expanding to accept civilian trauma patients.
“It has been a challenging couple of years, but tremendous accomplishments by team Womack,” Jarvis said.
Brig. Gen. Mary Krueger, commander of Regional Health Command–Atlantic and reviewing officer of the command change, said Fort Bragg forces are critical to the national defense strategy, from being the last off the battlefield in Afghanistan to being the first in Europe as Russia waged work on Ukraine.
“The Womack team in support of this has served during one of the most dynamic public health environments in our nation’s history,” Krueger said, thanking Jarvis and his team.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: New commander leading Fort Bragg health care delivery
