Tester recommends Malmstrom for database

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has pitched Malmstrom Air Force Base as a “perfect fit” to house a new electronic medical records collection being developed by the U.S. Department of Defense, according to a news release from Tester’s office.

The secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs recently agreed to work together to develop a joint electronic health record for American service members and veterans, with a goal of strengthening health care for those individuals and improving veterans’ transitions from military to civilian life.

The electronic medical records project will require several “repositories” across the country to store the electronic information securely, the release states.

Malmstrom is being considered to house one of the repositories. A survey of the base recently was completed by federal officials, and Tester said he has lobbied the Defense Department to select Malmstrom as a site for a repository — and for the jobs that come with it.

During a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, Tester told Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn that Malmstrom would be an ideal location for one of the repositories.