NavHosp Jax awarded Meritorious Unit Commendation

Boensel remarked as to the length of the citation accompanying the commendation, saying that it had to be lengthy because it was for ''a lot of great people doing a lot of great things.'' He also noted that he and his family have used the hospital for care and have always received great service. As the regional commander, Boensel said he also knows that, ''his people will always receive great care here (at a Naval Hospital Jacksonville facility).''

''That's just something we've come to expect,'' he stated. He added that if more people knew all that the hospital does they would be joining him in saying thank you.

Naval Hospital Jacksonville Commanding Officer Capt. (Dr.) Raquel Bono said, ''I'm not surprised at all by this award. It's just a great reflection of the kind of great professionalism and quality of staff we have here. I wouldn't expect anything less than that.''

The citation lauded the hospital staff's meritorious service from May 2002 to May 2005, delivering quality healthcare to an eligible population of more than 200,000 beneficiaries and providing outstanding support to operational forces. According to the citation, the hospital and its seven branch health clinics (the fourth largest hospital system in Navy medicine) performed at a level unmatched by like-size facilities in Navy medicine, despite the challenge of continuous deployments and staffing shortfalls.

Naval Hospital Jacksonville Commanding Officer Capt. (Dr.) Raquel Bono, Commander, Navy Region Southeast Rear Adm. Mark Boensel and hospital Command Master Chief CMDCM(SW/AW) Richard Sylve display the Meritorious Unit Commendation pennant presented to the hospital by Boensel on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations.

The citation noted that the hospital rose to fulfill its readiness mission, providing more than 45,000 man-days of medical support to the operational forces in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and deployment of the first successful Expeditionary Medical Unit to Joint Task Force 160 at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, Africa.

At the same time, the staff continued to delivery exemplary care at home. As a result of resource optimization and innovative management, Naval Hospital Jacksonville was able to maintain or exceed clinical productivity, increasing inpatient dispositions in fiscal years 2003 and 2004 by more than 750 in each year. Additionally, outpatient care in fiscal years 2003 and 2004 were maintained at or exceeded the level of care delivered in fiscal year 2002, prior to deployments.

Despite the increased demands, the hospital staff delivered great customer service. The hospital was the top Navy military treatment facility for the TRICARE Depart-ment of Defense Patient Satisfaction Award in 2004, and received the 2005 Best of TRICARE on the Web Gold Star for outstanding Military Treatment Facility Web site.

The citation also lauded the hospital's role as a teaching hospital. The graduates of the Family Practice Residency Pro-gram, the largest residency program in Navy medicine, received the second highest scores in the state of Florida on the family medicine board certification examination in 2004.

Another area which exemplified the staff's commitment to excellence was the urology clinic which was recognized by the Society of Government Urologists for operating the ''Most Productive Urology Clinic'' in Navy medicine in fiscal year 2003.

Being honored with the Meritorious Unit Commen-dation is one more confirmation that Naval Hospital Jacksonville is providing family-centered health care that is second to none and that it is exceeding its mission both at home and deployed. The entire staff, enlisted, officers and civilians alike, are part of a healthcare team that as Boensel said, ''are doing a lot of great things.''