Blanchard earns award for innovation and character

  • Published
  • By Airman Daniel Brosam
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Maj. Janet Blanchard, 341st Medical Operations Squadron Aerospace and Operational Medicine flight commander, was presented the United States Air Force John R. Alison Award for Character and Innovation Dec. 15, 2015, by Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jay Kelley, president of the Falcon Foundation. The ceremony was at the Malmstrom Clinic.

The Alison Award is presented to Air Force officers in recognition of demonstrated outstanding character and innovation in a single act or series of unrelated events during a single year. Blanchard is the first-ever recipient of the award.

According to the citation that accompanied the award, Blanchard was instrumental in building the Gateway Innovation Center and parallel management model at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in San Antonio, Texas, while assigned to the 59th Medical Wing. As chief of the center, she developed the Gateway Academy and its innovative curriculum that has become a model showcased to numerous Air Force senior leaders.

Blanchard's impact has converted basic military training and healthcare inefficiencies into $8.8 million, the citation reads.

After accepting the award, Blanchard thanked everyone who supported her through the hard work and late nights it took to complete her then-wing commander's vision for the center when there didn't seem to be enough space, people or money for the seemingly impossible task.

"Do not trim your ambitions based on your resources; rather, leverage your resources to reach seemingly unattainable goals," Blanchard said. "Within four months we had a beautiful space, furniture, volunteer instructors and 30 students."

Blanchard added that she is honored to represent Air Force nurses in a way that shows they have a variety of skills.