Local elected officials support keeping Eisenhower Army Medical Center functioning as a full-service facility.
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) announced plans to transition EAMC into an ambulatory care center, ending inpatient care with the emergency room as an urgent care facility.
The reaction is eye-opening.
State Rep. Mark Howard (R-District 127) views the announcement through three lenses. As an elected official, a doctor, and a military retiree who served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He told ABD he was both surprised and disappointed at the announcement.
“Very disappointed, and frankly, really surprised,” he said. “I look forward to figuring out how we can move forward. I don’t know whether we have all expressed our disappointment and preference that it remains as an area that is both comfortable and comforting to all the retirees, but also there for the vital service members we serve. We’re going to keep working on that.”
Two of Metro Augusta’s state senators support keeping EAMC as it currently serves the military community.
“We don’t want any hospital to be reduced or shut down,” said Sen. Lee Anderson (R-District 24). “But this is a federal issue, and I believe our Congressman, Rick Allen (R-Ga. 12), will make sure that in any way possible, it is brought back up to where it presently is, and then maybe even more, so we can help our people that’s in need.”
Dr. Mark Newton is also concerned about how the proposed downsizing will impact other healthcare facilities.
“Do they have any planned changes to TRICARE, and the ability for all those three major health systems we have in our area to be able to help in a timely manner?” he asked. “There may be a way with our training programs to meet some of that need in the community. We’re going to have to meet it in the community.”
Both of Georgia’s U.S. Senators are urging Congress to reject the proposal to dramatically alter EAMC’s mission.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) first sounded the alarm on the future of EAMC in a Nov. 2025 letter to Dr. David J. Smith, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, saying the plan would reduce access to life-saving care for Georgia servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
“This medical center is crucial for active duty servicemembers, retired servicemembers, their families, and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians and contractors to access care, including intensive care, surgery, mental health, and mammography services,” the letter read in part.
Sen. Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) released a statement saying he is troubled by the proposed cuts in service because military personnel and their families deserve comprehensive care options.
He is also concerned about the impact on what he described as the already strained, non-military health care system in Augusta and surrounding counties.
“I’m pushing Defense Health Agency Director Vice Adm. Darin K. Via and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to rethink this decision and reverse course,” he cautioned in his statement. “At a minimum, the Defense Health Agency should delay this decision until there is a full plan in place to take care of our military heroes and their families.”
In early May, DHA released a statement detailing the plan to drastically reduce services at EAMC, including closing inpatient care and turning the emergency room into an urgent care center.
“We understand health care changes are personal, and the Department of War and Eisenhower AMC do not make these decisions lightly. Because we are prioritizing the continuity of high-quality care, we are engaged in a robust planning process to finalize the timeline and the deliberate actions required for a smooth transition. We will provide timely, transparent updates so our beneficiaries know exactly what to expect,’ DHA said in the statement.
ABD requested a follow-up reaction from Ossoff.
“Hospitals in Georgia are already facing cuts and closures of vital services, which is why I sounded the alarm on these rumored plans to reduce care at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon,” he said in the statement. “This move risks making it harder for servicemembers, their families, and veterans to get the care they deserve and risks putting further strain on the Augusta VA and surrounding hospitals in the region.”
The statement ended with Ossoff urging DHA to abandon the plan.
This is not the first time there has been concern about the future of Fort Gordon.
In the early 2000s, the post was one of the facilities under review by the Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC). Metro Augusta banded together, resulting in the creation of the Alliance for Fort Gordon, an organization to demonstrate community support for the post.
When the BRAC list was released in 2005, Fort Gordon was not included.
Anderson said it may be appropriate to begin a similar outpouring of public support.
“Columbia County has always stepped up to the plate when we have a major issue, and our leaders here in the Columbia County area will be stepping up to the plate to help any way we can with Rick Allen to make sure the hospital is brought back up to full capacity,” he said. “We just try to serve the people any way we can and help the community. But our Columbia County people will step up and help in any way possible.”
“That’s what needs to happen now, I agree it should,” echoed Sen. Max Burns (R-District 23). “The community has to stand up and say, ‘This is a part, important part of not only national defense and health care for our veterans and our military, active duty military, but it’s something that is integral to the community here in Augusta, Georgia,’ and the community should stand up and support.”
Congress has 180 days to review the plan before it is implemented. A decision is expected in late August.
