Lt. Carla Santiago, the NMFL associate comptroller, led a 6-person team during the transition of the command’s mission from healthcare delivery to a medical readiness focus while approving all transactions in a major automated information system for administering and managing the U.S. Navy’s medical general funds.
“The transition from healthcare delivery to readiness within Navy Medicine presented a host of challenges to us,” said Santiago. “The major ones included transferring existing travel obligations, contracts, and other pertinent financial records from one system to the next while at the same time implementing and executing within the newer system.”
The resource management team played a pivotal role in NMFL's financial systems switch, transferring over $20 million across 25-plus commands for three fiscal years. Their expertise ensured the efficient fund management and successfully transferred over 400 civilian billets to the Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (N-ERP) time and attendance, maintaining 100% fund accountability.
“The team’s ability to work towards what was best for the enterprise was astounding,” stated Beverly Hendricks an accountant at NMFL. “Helping to bring the enterprise forward by implementing the systems that helped support the needs of our Sailors and soldiers was most important.”
Over a 4-month period, the staff led actions that resolved 1,695 errors, which accounted for more than 85% of the entire budget submitting office reduction during the award period.
“The way the team worked together to accomplish the mission and meet the deadline during such a busy time in the year was amazing,” concluded Santiago. “I am beyond honored, and proud the team’s hard work was recognized.”
Eduardo Estrada, the financial management analyst from Naval Medical Readiness and Logistics Command (NMRLC), was also recognized with the individual award for his significant contributions to the DoD financial management mission in end-to-end business environment optimization.
During the past year, Strada excelled in supporting more than 500 employees at the field level activity during the initial implementation of the N-ERP system and major reorganization of three major commands into a single enterprise NMRLC.
NMFL, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crises. NMFL provides oversight for 21 NMRTCs, logistics, and public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Europe, and the Middle East.
Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.