U.S. Naval Hospitals Naples, Sigonella to transition to outpatient clinics with same-day surgeries, birthing capabilities maintained

PORTSMOUTH, VA, UNITED STATES

10.04.2017

Story by Tami Begasse 

Naval Medical Forces Atlantic

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – U.S. Naval Hospitals (USNH) Naples and Sigonella will transition to outpatient clinics Oct. 1, 2018, maintaining same-day surgical services.

Maternal care and birthing capabilities will be available for women who are low risk and are expected to have uncomplicated births, consistent with what is offered at other Navy Medicine clinic commands. Emergency, outpatient and ancillary services will also remain unchanged.

“Nothing is more important than the health and readiness of our people. There are no plans to close our Navy military treatment facilities in Italy as they provide direct support to Sailors and Marines operating ashore and at sea throughout Europe,” said Rear Adm. Anne Swap, commander, Navy Medicine East (NME), the organization with regional oversight of Navy Medicine eastern hemisphere, which includes USNH Naples and Sigonella.

The shift to outpatient services, preventive care and wellness better aligns with the health care needs of the service members in the region who are generally healthy and is part of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) ongoing efforts to ensure the readiness of our service members and their families by optimizing military health care facilities across the globe, including those in Europe.

“Whether care is received at one of our outpatient clinics or at one of the TRICARE network providers, delivering quality and safe care is paramount. Our USNH Naples and Sigonella leadership and staff are partnering closely with host nation health care facilities to ensure the best experience possible for all our patients by providing patient liaisons, case managers, and translation services to support continuity of care and to help address cultural differences in the experience of care,” Swap said.

Any medical care not able to be provided at USNH Naples and Sigonella will be coordinated under the TRICARE Overseas Program. This Defense Health Agency program ensures health care is delivered by vetted, credentialed overseas providers even in the most austere locations.

All network providers are required to meet accreditation standards specific to the host nation, and are required to have certification and recertification programs to ensure the delivery of quality care. This includes, but is not limited to, organizational and individual provider credentials and processes to evaluate health care quality, safety and compliance.

“The Navy’s commitment to ensuring Sailors, Marines and their families will never change,” said Swap.

In addition to the close collaboration with its Italian counterparts to support continuity of care, USNH Naples and Sigonella providers will conduct daily rounds on all DoD patients hospitalized at host nation hospitals.

USNH Naples is comprised of the main hospital, Branch Health Clinic at Capodichino, and a Navy liaison detachment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany. The 500 staff members of USNH Naples provide high quality, patient-centered care to approximately 10,000 active duty, family members, retirees, operational and NATO forces, and other eligible patients through internal collaboration and status of force agreements.

USNH Sigonella is located in the heart of the Mediterranean in Sicily, Italy. The command encompasses the main facility with a satellite clinic and two branch clinics located in Souda Bay, Greece and the Kingdom of Bahrain. The 400 staff members of USNH Sigonella provide high
quality, patient-centered care to approximately 7,000 active duty, family members, retirees operational and NATO forces, and other eligible patients through international collaboration and status of force agreements.

NME oversees the delivery of medical, dental and other health care services to approximately one million patients across almost 100 facilities in the eastern hemisphere—including the Tidewater Military Health System which brings together McDonald Army Health Center, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley. Plus, its public health activities extend globally.

For more information, visit www.med.navy.mil/sites/nme.

• Date Taken: 10.04.2017
• Date Posted: 10.04.2017 07:49
• Story ID: 250512
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VA, US