Hospital has programs in place to set pace for Navy Medicine

Hospital deployable platforms demonstrated readiness capability through multiple deployments of the 2nd Force Service Support Group (2nd FSSG) platform to Kuwait and Iraq as well as rotating elements of our Fleet Hospital to support an Expeditionary Medical Unit under Combined Task Force - Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, as they continue the war on terrorism. Other personnel were deployed to Sierra Leone, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Japan, Liberia, Papua, New Guinea and other locations around the globe. Fleet Hospital Jacksonville served as the ''Ready Fleet Hospital over the last 18 months, the first to be called if the Navy needed to field a battlefield hospital.

More than 4,900 surgeries were performed at Naval Hospital Jacksonville over the last year even while deployments drew manpower from hospitalÕs surgical staff. Photo by Loren Barnes

The staff accomplished this while continuing to provide excellent care to beneficiaries at home. Over the last year, the hospital treated 6,000 inpatients, including 14 Seabees who arrived here May 10, after being wounded in an attack in Iraq. The hospital's Emergency Department, Surgery and seven West Surgical Wards did a remarkable job of handling this influx of battlefield wounded. The hospital staff also treated 651,785 outpatients, delivered 1,332 babies, conducted 4,904 surgeries and filled 1,572,000 prescriptions in the pharmacy. The hospital Emergency Department had 38,012 patient visits.

The hospital's Family Practice, Pediatrics, Wellness Center and other hospital programs, including those promoting breast cancer awareness, diabetes awareness and treatment, domestic abuse prevention, substance and alcohol abuse rehabilitation and mental health fully engaged beneficiaries as active partners in the provider/patient relationship promoting healthier lifestyles and early intervention.

The staff also changed how they do business, emphasizing the use of productivity metrics throughout the hospital while streamlining hospital services for efficiency as well as improved service and patient care.

Fine-tuning the machine put the hospital in very good shape for fiscal year 2005. Hospital leadership e xpects a projected budgetary increase of approximately $15 million over last year's $41 million budget due to this demonstrated efficiency and productivity.

HM2 Toby Bennett and MRI Technician Ronald Richardson prepare a patient for an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan on Naval Hospital JacksonvilleÕs brand new Philips Interia MRI equipment. Efficiency and productivity initiatives at the hospital played a big role in securing funding for such new equipment in Naval Hospital clinics last fiscal year. Photo by Loren Barnes

Hospital Comptroller Lt. Cmdr. David Breier said dollar saving initiatives in fiscal year 2004 included: $258,000 saved by limiting travel, more than $418,600 saved by reductions of 1,285 catalog items from the supply system, civilian labor costs kept within $13,000 of beginning of the year estimates and Third Party Collections brought in $900,000 more from beneficiaries non-TRICARE insurance coverage than was initially targeted for the year - $5.1 million vs. $4.2 million, a 20 percent increase. Additional funding from the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery for the pharmacy as well as careful budget management enabled the department to finish FY04 $14,000 in the black.

All these efficiencies and more enabled the hospital to spend an additional $2.8 million for equipment purchases including the addition of a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scanners.

With the hospital's fiscal house in order, hospital leadership is able to plan further expenditures to enhance service in FY05. For instance, $1.6 million is already earmarked for completing long-awaited facility maintenance projects in the main hospital. These projects will go on simultaneously with separately funded military construction projects including the nearly completed Eighth Floor Maternal/Infant Ward renovations and the $28.5 million, 75,000 square foot, north side addition slated to break ground next summer.

Confidence that Naval Hospital Jacksonville can get the job done not only led to further resource investment here but also to the hospital serving as a prototype test site for several programs. These include the Defense Medical Human Resource System Internet (DMHRSI) program, a new and improved payroll management system and the Provider Graphical User Interface (PGUI). Diane Moriarty, a computer specialist with Naval Hospital Jacksonville's Information Resource Management Department, explained that PGUI is a new web-based system that allows providers to view a patient's full medical history on one screen.  Providers can order labs, X-rays, consults, prescriptions and input notes for each patient visit.

Deployed Naval Hospital Jacksonville medical personnel assigned to 2nd Force Service Support Group in Kuwait just before the invasion of Iraq. U.S. Navy Photo

Naval Hospital Jacksonville stood up a new disaster response team in September. It received its first test a week after formation when they provided medical manpower to aid Naval Hospital Pensacola in hurricane recovery efforts. This team, handpicked medical personnel with specific skills needed in a disaster scenario, stands ready to respond to community disasters, manmade or natural. This team is above and beyond already established hospital and branch medical clinic participation in base emergency response plans.

The hospital continued a long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship with the

Duval County Medical Society, with memorandums of understanding establishing partnerships with local hospitals and government agencies for medical training programs as well as emergency preparedness coordination.

Medical personnel with Camp New York in Kuwait evacuate a patient. Camp New York was one of several camps which 2nd Force Service Support Group personnel including medical personnel from Naval Hospital Jacksonville have served in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the War on Terrorism. U.S. Navy Photo

The hospital's tradition of community volunteer service continued to benefit the needy in Jacksonville. These includes such well-known programs as HABIJAX, Shipmates With Heart, JAX Care, the Angel Tree Program, the Salvation Army Bell Ringer program as well as toy drives to benefit the Duval County Children's Home. Hospital volunteers contributed an estimated 1,400 man-hours per month to volunteer programs in the Jacksonville area last year. The hospital is also a huge player in the NAS Jax's annual Combined Federal Campaign, contributing $44,375 last year and this year the ongoing campaign coordinated by HMCS Rusty Perry, SKCM Linda Stewart and CS1 Kelvin Wiggins, is at $41,326 as of Nov. 9. The campaign ends Jan. 15.

The hospital has enhanced programs for its staff as well. The command Ward Room is reenergized and sponsors monthly social gatherings and special events throughout the year. The hospital Morale, Welfare and Recreation program run by 12 active committee members working with departmental representatives throughout the hospital have raised more than $6,000 over the last year through clever fund-raisers from candy-gram sales to the recent command fall festival. According to CSC Ricky Strickland dollars raised fund such social events as the command's annual cookout and Christmas party as well as gift baskets for military and civilian families in need.

Photo by Loren Barnes Naval Hospital Jacksonville reaches out to help our neighbors in Jacksonville through many volunteer programs, including HABIJAX projects which help provide for low-income families.

The hospital also implemented its ''Under My Wing'' and ''Sailor SMARTS'' mentoring programs last September. Sailor SMARTs is a life-long learning curriculum with five ''pillars'' - career development, community and cultural enrichment, spiritual growth, financial security and planning, education and life-long learning - all knowledge and skills necessary for a successful life. The ''Under My Wing'' Mentoring program allows for practical application of knowledge conveyed in various SMARTS curricula according to Lt. Cmdr. Frank Stubbs, one of the programs' organizers. He said, ''The hospital now has 540 people involved in the program and it is growing,'' noting that the mentoring program here is nominated by the Secretary of the Navy for the President's Quality Award for Excellence in Management.

Successful mentoring has given our Sailors an edge in advancement and career enhancement. Naval Hospital Jacksonville has the best advancement figures in Naval Medicine with more than 10 percent (32 personnel) of those tested being selected for promotion. The current retention rate for the hospital is 50 percent.

Photo by Sgt. Matthew Roberson HN Autumn Grabo screen patients during a Medical Civil Action Program mission in Djibouti. Besides treating medical personnel with Combined Joint Task Force Ð Horn of Africa Fleet Hospital Jacksonville personnel working with the Expeditionary Medical Unit at Camp Lemonier often reached out with humanitarian aid to the local population.

Naval Hospital Jacksonville has completed significant facility improvements over the last 18 months. In October 2003, a new $6 million clinic was opened at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga. and in March 2004 a new $22 million, 102,000 square-foot, medical and dental clinic was opened at NS Mayport. Additional facility enhancements include the hospital's new Pharmacy Refill Pick-up Building located at the base Navy Exchange, making pharmacy services easier for our beneficiaries. A new $4.1 million chiller plant system was also added to the hospital that will not only be able to handle planned building expansions but is more economically and environmentally efficient.

An exciting opportunity to better serve the retired community has been realized through a partnering program between the Veterans Administration (VA) and BMC Key

West, Fla. through which a VA primary care provider is located in the Navy clinic and sees retired beneficiaries on site. Through a separate resource sharing agreement the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Radiology and Laboratory Departments are handling a number of radiology and laboratory jobs for the Tampa, Fla. VA hospital.

The hospital's Family Practice Residency Program continues to train outstanding Family Practice physicians for the Fleet. Twelve residents graduated June 30 while 12 more physicians received intern certifications in the program. The hospital's Nurse Anesthesia program graduated three in February.

Photo by Loren Barnes Pharmacy Technician Carole Simmons-DeCort uses AccuMed counting cells to fill a prescription. The pharmacy dispenses thousands of prescriptions each day to Naval Hospital Jacksonville beneficiaries.

The hospital is bringing new specialty care to our beneficiaries. For instance, the hospital's Mental Health Department recently introduced acupuncture treatment. Other new specialties include sleep therapy and pain management clinics. Chiropractic services, extremely popular with patients over the years, have recently relocated to BMC Mayport and BMC Jax.

Finally, the hospital welcomes Navy Dental Center Southeast into the Naval Hospital Jacksonville family as medical and dental services Navy-wide are brought under one command. This change, which will make Dental a department of the Naval Hospital, should occur seamlessly with little impact on beneficiaries. A number of dental appointments were already being done in a clinic located on Naval Hospital Jacksonville's second floor. That will continue with this being largely an administrative change rather than a change in patient care procedures.

Naval Hospital Jacksonville Commanding Officer Capt. John Sentell said, ''Naval Hospital Jacksonville is setting the pace for Navy Medicine and our beneficiaries in the Jacksonville area are reaping the rewards. As a result of the hospital's taking care of business over the last year you can expect to see great things happening next year with a growing facility, expanded and improved services and a revitalized staff ready to deliver the best in 21st century medicine.''