To the Editor:

My name is Kyle G. Johnson, and I am the President and Chief Executive Officer of Onsite Occupational Health & Safety, Inc. (Onsite OHS).

On Friday, Feb. 27, the Syracuse VA Medical Center awarded Onsite OHS a contract to provide primary health care, preventive care and outpatient mental health services to veterans living in and around St. Lawrence County at a new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC).

Since the announcement was made public I have personally heard from several local veterans. I appreciate the correspondence and hope my responses addressed your questions. I find it exciting that there is such a passionate and active group in the area dedicated to seeing that our veterans are receiving the best care possible.

Onsite OHS is honored to be selected to partner with the Syracuse VA Medical Center to offer enhanced health care services to veterans, such as a new, larger facility in that is solely dedicated to serving veterans.

First off, and most importantly: I am a veteran. I served as an active duty Hospital Corpsman, in the U.S. Navy and was on a combatant ship during the first Gulf War. In addition, prior to joining the Navy, I served as a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare Specialist in the U.S. Army National Guard.

I owe all of my success, everything that I have accomplished, to the U.S. military. The military gave me the skills, the discipline, the confidence, the pride and professionalism, and most of all, the ‘can-do’ attitude to be successful. And, as a veteran, the medicine delivered to veterans in our care will always be my first priority.

Throughout my career, I have managed the delivery of medical services on some of the largest and most complex support missions in the industry. Some highlights include: Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the World Trade Center Recovery Project; Hurricane Katrina response; United Nations support in Somalia; Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Kuwait; Operation United Assistance in Liberia; Emergency Ebola Response for the United Nations in Sierra Leone; the VA CBOC in Dover, Tenn.; and provided the healthcare to the joint UN/OPCW mission to destroy the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile.

Onsite OHS was founded in January 2008 with headquarters in Princeton, Indiana. Since then, we have performed on contracts all across the globe – providing medical services on five of the seven continents and in 30 of the 50 States. We have been recognized as one of Inc. Magazine’s top 500 fastest-growing private companies in the US. We have made the list for the last three consecutive years with the highest ranking being the 95th fastest growing company in America; #7 in the healthcare sector; and #1 in Indiana.

Currently, Onsite OHS operates a CBOC for veterans in Dover, Tenn. We also maintain both certification and accreditation through The Joint Commission – a Certification for Health Care Staffing and an Accreditation for Ambulatory Care. The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest, largest and most stringent standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.

Soon, we will begin the renovations at the new clinic’s location: 54 E. Orvis St., Massena, which is located roughly one mile from the current clinic. We feel this location will serve veterans well.

Some highlights of the new clinic include: Over 9,000 square feet of space dedicated to the care of veterans, expanded hours including early morning, late evening and Saturday appointment availability, a staff of over 20 personnel with the goal of all of them being local residents, every employee of the current clinic will be offered a position at the new clinic if they so desire and nine rooms identified to provide telehealth services for veterans in conjunction with the Syracuse VAMC; three telehealth equipped exam rooms, one dedicated telehealth room, one dedicated teleretinal room, one large telehealth group therapy room, two medium telehealth group therapy rooms, one small telehealth group therapy room and dedicated rooms for women’s health.

While there remains much work to do before the new clinic becomes operational in July, I am hopeful that through cooperation and communication with the veterans, local community advocates, and the Syracuse VA Medical Center, the transition will be a seamless one for the veterans.

Further, when the local contractor decided to abruptly end their relationship with the VA, Onsite OHS was awarded an emergency contract from the VA for the Dover, Tenn., CBOC. Onsite OHS accomplished the following: Located a facility, submitted construction plans to VA for approval, received feedback from VA; made the required changes; and resubmitted plans, received final approval from VA, performed demolition of interior of the space, performed construction of space to VA specifications, recruited all the personnel, personnel were credentialed through Onsite OHS and completed the VA credentialing and privileging process, the new employees attended Onsite OHS training, VA training, and “shadowed” providers at a local VA CBOC, we purchased, received and installed all clinic equipment and furnishings, received final sign off by VA personnel to open the CBOC and opened for patient appointments.

Although the above is a high level overview of the startup process, I would like to point out the timeline that the above was accomplished in. We received the Notice to Proceed (NTP) on March 14, 2014. We executed the contract on April 11, 2014. We performed all of the above and were open for patients on May 1, 2014.

That equates to completely renovating, recruiting, staffing, equipping, and opening a fully functioning CBOC to see patients in 20 days from contract execution, or 48 days from the notice to proceed from the VA.

Lastly, in 2014, OHS was recognized as a one of the nation’s “Most Valuable Employers for Military Veterans (MVE)” by CivilianJobs.com. The award serves to help military-experienced job seekers identify the top employers to target for civilian careers. Onsite OHS grants a veteran’s preference during our recruiting process whenever possible. During the company’s more than seven years in business, military veterans have accounted for up to 45 percent of the company’s employees with a 3-year average retention rate of 94.9 percent.

I look forward to the opportunity to serve the greater St. Lawrence County community. As a veteran, as well as a Life Member of the VFW, you have my word that I will do everything in my power to take care of veterans in the manner in which they deserve.

Please feel free to contact me through our website at www.onsiteohs.com or Kyle.Johnson@onsiteohs.com.

Kyle G. Johnson

President and CEO, Onsite OHS, Inc.