At Mercy Health, we are proud of the current and former United States military service members we count among our associates. One is Scott Miller, a United States Air Force veteran and system director of purchased services for our ministry.
Serving in the military has a lasting impression on the life of one who serves in it. Those experiences often find their way into other parts of a veteran’s life. For Scott, his time in the Air Force stuck with him into his professional life as a civilian. He answered a few questions about his service and the ways it has influenced his life and career.
What were some of the reasons why you joined the Air Force?
When I was 17 years old, it was the mid-80s, during a recession. In my hometown of Allentown, Pa., there were no jobs or job prospects out of high school. So, I enlisted to help not be a burden to my family.
Is there any moment or memory from your time in the Air Force that stands out to you?
My time in the Air Force taught me that when you have a team of passionately committed people, you can get anything done. I could give 100 examples of why that’s true. There are two moments that really stand out to me.
First, when you go to war, one of the things you don’t pack for is pediatrics. Nobody expects a child to be part of a war, but they live everywhere and there are going to be casualties. In Iraq, we had a case come in of a 9-year-old girl with a bullet lodged in her neck. However, they did not have what was needed to protect her carotid artery so they could remove the bullet – it did not exist in Iraq. The supply chain team understood what needed to happen, and they made sure the right material was in the war zone within 36 hours. That only happens when people do their job the right way every time so that, when the moment comes to shine, you have your established footprint and relationship, and you’re able to make that kind of magic happen.
The second moment is a war story about Iraq. I have done two tours in Iraq, and both times, I had the same position of director of operations for the trauma hospital there, the largest war-time trauma hospital since the Vietnam War.
One of the things that grabs you when you go to war is when, every day, as helicopters come in, you see the evidence of how savage and brutal humans can be to each other. Sometimes, people lose a part of themselves. But, in that hospital and in that environment – doctors, nurses, technicians, everybody working together – was a little slice of humanity. I used to describe it when I would write home as a bubble of humanity in a sea of insanity.
In the worst of times, if there’s one thing that people need, it’s health care. People can find food, shelter, friendship and any other needs for themselves. However, one thing people can’t find for themselves that has to be brought to them is health care.
Has your time in service impacted your career now?
I never forget that supply chain is not just boxes. Supply chain is making sure the right thing is in the right place at the right time for health care to occur. If I don’t do my job well, that means health care can’t be delivered well. If I don’t do my job with passion, that means someone down the line is too busy worrying about supplies and not able to put their passion toward their patient – where it belongs.
At a recent team meeting, I was offered the opportunity to talk to the team, and I reminded them that even if they’ve never worked in a hospital, they have a role in saving lives. Supply chain offers the opportunity to reduce variability throughout the whole process and to address quality and avoid risk. One of the things that people don’t know about our contracts is that they’re chalked full of protections on legal issues, cyber issues and qualifications for the people providing services. If we bring in a nurse who is a contractor to support a case, you can be sure they’re qualified. All the things we do contribute to saving lives.
I have so many examples of when supply chain professionalism has laid the groundwork so that when it comes time to be creative in hours of desperation, they can deliver the miracles.
Thank you to Scott, as well as all our other veteran team members for your service to our country. Read more stories about our veteran team members.
Also, learn more about the health care services we offer at Mercy Health.
