Arseneau named LRMC civilian of year

Thomas Warner
LRMC Public Affairs

Michael Arseneau was named top civilian worker at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for 2006, but he deflected praise toward his co-workers.

Mr. Arseneau, the chief of facility management at LRMC, completed his second year of civilian work following over a decade of active-duty Army service at Landstuhl. Having served a total of 26 years in the Army, the branch he now oversees as a civilian is responsible for all facility maintenance, repairs, renovation and space utilization at the hospital.

***image2***“We are one of the oldest facilities in MEDCOM, and we are the only contonement facility still in operation,” Mr. Arseneau said. “This is a World War II structure, and it’s a challenge to continuously upgrade and stay modern, to keep this place going. It takes a lot of people’s work other than myself.”

Painting, piping, visual hallway enhancement and all general facility maintenance fall under Mr. Arseneau’s purview. He recently oversaw a hospital air conditioning upgrade and an overhaul of the hospital’s dining facility.

“I feel like I accept this award on behalf of the branch,” Mr. Arseneau said. “One person can’t do it alone and it’s really the team behind you that makes you look good.”

Recent inspections by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations showed no deficiencies and only highest grades for Mr. Arseneau’s branch areas – Fire and Life Safety and Utility Systems Management.

“He always has projects lined up years in advance,” said Col. John Collins, the chief of staff at LRMC. “Mike is a humble man, soft-spoken, but he’s a technical genius who oversees as many as 50 to 60 projects ongoing at the same time. Those projects require millions of dollars of investment by MEDCOM and Michael has the ability to see that everything is carried out and executed in ways that are best for the hospital. His heart and soul belong to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.”

Along with the tasks at LRMC, Mr. Arseneau is directly involved with other projects at health care facilities around Europe. The MEDCOM model contains over 1.5 million square feet of health care facilities including SHAPE in Belgium, Vicenza and Livorno in Italy, Dexheim, Baumholder and scattered other venues.

“He is the single most valuable non-clinical asset this hospital has,” Colonel Collins said. “We have doctors and nurses here who save lives every day but from a non-clinical standpoint, nobody here is more valuable than Michael.

“His ability to think into the future and to simultaneously manage all the different projects he’s involved with make him a very unique person. He is the best facilities manager I’ve ever worked with in 23 years of time in the military.”