Photo By Sgt. Russell Midori | A color-guard detail stands ready to hoist the flag for the ceremony that marked the...... read more read more
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MCRD PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- On April 29, Naval Hospital Beaufort celebrates its 62nd anniversary after being commissioned on April 29, 1949. Marked by a cake-cutting ceremony, the birthday celebrates the rich history of the hospital and its surrounding area.
From its humble beginnings as Naval Hospital Parris Island, made up of two portable wooden and canvas buildings, the hospital has strived to provide the best service for its patients.
“Navy medicine prides itself on having the best-qualified and best-trained personnel,” said Chief Petty Officer Amanda Hughes, hospital corpsman and also Naval Hospital Beaufort command historian. “The sailors who work here have maintained that reputation since the hospital’s commissioning.”
After Parris Island was handed over to the Marine Corps in 1916 to be used as a recruit depot, there became a need for a larger medical facility to handle the increase in personnel that came with recruit training. A hurricane-related flood in 1940 and World War II also contributed to the need for a new hospital.
Ground was broken at the hospital’s current location on the Beaufort River, two miles north of Parris Island, July 31, 1946, and the first patients were admitted on May 5, 1949.
Naval Hospital Beaufort is now manned by approximately 1,050 service members and civilians and includes two satellite installations in the form of health clinics on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
Today, including both health clinics, Naval Hospital Beaufort manages an average of 28,500 patient appointments a month. The hospital claims responsibility for more than 35,000 beneficiaries, including active duty Navy and Marine Corps personnel, retired military personnel and all military dependants in the Beaufort area.
“I believe this is the best hospital in Navy medicine,” said Navy Capt. Edward Simmer, executive officer of Naval Hospital Beaufort. “The staff works hard here and I’m extremely proud of everyone.”
At 62 years the hospital is the oldest building in the Navy still used for patient care, but the building’s old age is never apparent due to the hard work of two certain sections.
“Our facilities maintenance staff is second to none,” Simmer said. “At 62 years, sometimes parts for repair of the building aren’t manufactured anymore, and our (facilities maintenance) staff will make them from scratch.
“The other is our housekeeping staff,” Simmer added. “I have never stepped into a cleaner hospital.”
The cake-cutting ceremony will commence at 11:30 a.m. April 29 at the hospital’s quarterdeck and is open to all interested visitors. The ceremony will be followed by a presentation of artifacts belonging to the area, including arrowheads, American Civil War items and the colors that were raised at the hospital’s commissioning.
The days events will also include a driving tour of all the historical landmarks on base, including Civil War and Revolutionary War sites, something that Simmer says he hopes will become a bi-monthly event.
“In a bigger scope we won’t just be celebrating the hospital’s birthday, but the rich history of the area,” Hughes said. “It’s important to celebrate so people can understand that they have a historical landmark in their backyard.”
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2011 15:48 |
| Story ID: | 69591 |
| Location: | PARRIS ISLAND, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 72 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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