New commander takes charge at Fort Riley hospital

Col. Laudino Castillo took over command of Irwin Army Community Hospital last week in a ceremony at Fort Riley.

Col. Anthony Gray relinquished command to Castillo.

Medical Readiness Command West commander and Brig. Gen. Yolonda Summons praised Gray’s leadership during a challenging period marked by personnel shortages, budget constraints and modernization efforts.

She highlighted his achievements in increasing medical readiness, appointment availability and operating room utilization, which made IACH the preferred hospital for beneficiaries in the community.

“Col. Gray, thank you for your leadership and expertise,” said Summons. “Your relentless drive for excellence leaves a remarkable legacy here at Fort Riley.”

She then welcomed Castillo, recognizing his extensive experience and the values instilled by his family. She noted his previous role as Command Surgeon for the 21st Theater Sustainment Command in Germany and expressed confidence in his ability to lead IACH through future challenges.

Prior to his arrival to Fort Riley, Castillo served as the command surgeon for 21st Theater Sustainment Command at Panzer Kaserne, Germany, from 2022 – 2024. A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, he served as the chief of Department of Medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center 2020 – 2022.

With Castillo at the helm, IACH can expect continued improvement in medical care. He said he’ll work toward achieving high reliability organization status, with the upcoming Joint Commission triannual accreditation as a key step.

Gray moves on to serve with the U.S. Medical Command G-4, where he’ll be providing medical logistics support to medical treatment facilities across the globe.

IACH is a 47-bed hospital on Fort Riley that opened in October 2016 with the mission of supporting medical readiness for the units assigned to Fort Riley, especially the 1st Infantry Division. It also provides care to Army families and military retirees.

The hospital oversees four outlying clinics: Farrelly, Custer Hill, Novosel Aviation, and Caldwell Public Health Clinics.