U.S. Navy Photo An aerial view of the new Branch Medical and Dental Clinic at Naval Station Mayport.

NS Mayport to dedicate Branch Medical and Dental Clinic

By Loren Barnes
Naval Hospital JacksonvillePublic Affairs

Months of planning, hard work and anticipation will culminate tomorrow, at 1 p.m. as Naval Hospital Jacksonville dedicates a sparkling new Branch Medical and Dental Clinic at Naval Station Mayport, to former Navy Hospital Corpsman and Medal of Honor recipient Robert R. Ingram.

Featured speakers at the dedication will be Surgeon General of the Navy Vice Adm. Michael Cowan as well as Ingram. Cmdr. Thomas Balestrieri, who was Branch Medical Clinic (BMC) Mayport's Officer in Charge throughout the development and construction phases of the new facility, will be on hand to introduce Ingram.

Distinguished guests expected to attend will include city, state and Con-gressional representatives as well as high-ranking Naval Station Mayport, Naval Dental Center Southeast, Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Naval Medi-cine and Fleet leadership.

Branch Medical Clinic Mayport Officer in Charge Cmdr. Frederick J. McDon-ald said the clinic staff is excited about the future and proud of the Naval Medicine heroes who preceded them.

McDonald said, ''Our new clinic demonstrates the commitment to bring the best care available to our beneficiaries. It is a very special moment for all of us and made even more memorable by its dedication in honor of Mr. Robert R. Ingram. ''This clinic will stand as a testament of the care and support provided by our corpsman, providers, nurses, administrators, and civilian support staff. Our clinic's foundation is based on tradition, and that will be our legacy we pass to those who come after us.''

Former President Wil-liam Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to Ingram, a Clearwater, Fla. native, on June 10, 1998. The medal belatedly recognized his bravery and dedication in events that took place on March 28, 1966.

At the time, Ingram was a Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class serving with Compa-ny C, First Battalion, Se-venth Marines, combating elements of a North Viet-nam Aggressor (NVA) battalion in Quang Ngai Pro-vince, Republic of Vietnam. On patrol, the point platoon Ingram was accompanying aggressively engaged an outpost of an NVA battalion, suddenly finding themselves under heavy fire from about 100 Vietnamese regulars the platoon was decimated. Despite being hit by enemy fire four times, one a life-threatening wound, Ingram gallantly came to the aid of his fallen servicemen and continued the fight.

Ingram was discharged from the Navy in 1968, is now a registered nurse at a family practice in Jackson-ville, where he lives with his wife, Doris. They have one son and a daughter.

The new clinic, located at 2104 Massey Avenue aboard the Naval Station, is a dream come true for staff and patients alike. This $22 million military construction project has been 22 months in the making and represents years of planning. Ground was broken for the new building on June 5, 2002.

The long-anticipated, 102,000 square-foot, building nearly doubles the previous 59,000 square-foot Medical/Dental Clinic. The staff moved into the new facility on March 1 and providers are already treating patients there.

ÊImprovements include a state of the art pharmacy outfitted with the latest in automated systems, a digital radiology system capable of sending information worldwide, and an expanded medical records area. There will also be smart boards in each conference room and the impressive rotunda entrance area will include a virtual Quarterdeck equipped with wide-screen television and continuous educational programming.

The new clinic will allow the staff to bring several services currently found in outlying buildings such as Community Counseling, the Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Program (SARP), Physical Therapy, and Occupation Health services under one roof for the added convenience of clinic beneficiaries. It also allows space for additional specialty care including dermatology, urology, neurology, and ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists.Ê

This new facility represents one more way that in 2004, Naval Medicine continues its long-standing tradition of deploying state of the art healthcare programs and initiatives.

As defined by the Navy Surgeon General in his principles of ''Force Health Protection,'' Naval Medicine

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has begun deployment of its Family Centered Care initiative: ''Your family is our family, every visit, every time and every day.''

Balestrieri expressed his confidence that the vision embodied in this new clinic will continue.

He said, ''Our commitment to our patients is the driving force for us to continuously challenge ourselves to offer better access, better services, and better quality for the Navy's third largest fleet concentration, their family members, and our deserving retirees. We believe quality healthcare must be provided in an atmosphere of service, professionalism, compassion, teamwork, trust, and respect.''

Capt. James J. Ware, commanding officer, Naval Dental Center Southeast spoke for the dental side of the house. He said, ''The new Mayport Branch Clinic has 26 dental operatories utilizing state of the art digital radiography and microscopic visual capabilities for the 14 dentists and dental hygienists billeted here. The dental clinic alone will have an annual throughput of 30,000 patient visits providing general dentistry and specialty care to include endodontics, prosthodentics, implants, oral surgery and prediodontic services for the fleet and shore Sailors in the Mayport area resulting in an annual dental health benefit of over $11 million.''

In addition, to honoring Ingram, the facility will be a living memorial to the tradition of valor that has been the hallmark of naval medicine.

In a 10:30 a.m. ceremony tomorrow, a ship's anchor from the USS Higbee (DD-806) placed in front of the entrance will be dedicated to Chief Nurse Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee, second superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps. Officiating at that dedication will be Rear Adm. Nancy Lescavage, 20th director of the Navy Nurse Corps and commander, Naval Medical Education and Training Command, Bethesda, Md.

Inside the clinic's entrance rotunda, shadow boxes containing medals and citations reflecting the valor of several naval medicine heroes who now have Naval Station Mayport homeported ships named after them will be displayed. Those honored include:

Lt. Joel T. Boone, MC - USS Boone (FFG 28)

PhM2 William D. Halyburton - USS Halyburton (FFG 40)

HN Richard D. Dewert - USS Dewert (FFG 45)

HM2 David R. Ray - USS David R. Ray (FFG 45)

Second Superintendent Nurse Corps Leah Sutcliffe Higbee - USS Higbee (DD 806)