New Navy Medicine Clinic Opens in Gulfport

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Brannon Deugan | Lt. Daniel Buono, a dental officer assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11, conducts a dental examination Oct. 19 at Naval Branch Health Clinic (NBHC) Gulfport, Mississippi. On Oct. 19, NBHC Gulfport held a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the new 58,000 square foot clinic that will provide patient-centered care for active duty service members, retirees and their families  

GULFPORT, MS, UNITED STATES

10.19.2018

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Brannon Deugan 

NMRTC Pensacola

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Oct. 19 for the new Naval Branch Health Clinic (NBHC) Gulfport on board Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Mississippi.

The new 58,000 square foot clinic will provide patient-centered care for active duty service members, retirees and their families in a modern and safe facility conducive to the optimum health care experience.

"This is an amazing opportunity for our staff and patients to have this beautiful
patient-centered care facility open in Gulfport," said Capt. Amy Branstetter, commanding officer, Naval Hospital Pensacola (NHP). "The new clinic offers a state-of-the-art environment for our highly skilled staff to provide outstanding care to our operational forces, their families and retirees in the community."

NBHC Gulfport is one of 10 branch clinics assigned to NHP, and the new clinic was specifically designed to support the Medical Home Port Team concept used throughout Navy Medicine. The Medical Home Port process is a multi-disciplinary approach that delivers patient-centered care and improves access to care for patients.

“The new clinic incorporates several services that were previously dispersed throughout the base such as mental health, physical therapy and Families Over Coming Under Stress (FOCUS),” said Cmdr. Venancio Maysonet, officer-in-charge, NBHC Gulfport. “The most significant impact of the new clinic is technology.”

Maysonet explained two examples of the clinics new technology as a new kiosk system in the Pharmacy and a new radiology system in the Dental Clinic. The kiosk is a ticketing system that will aid in gauging patient wait times as well as determining the adequate staffing models to better serve the community. The new radiology system is an important feature of the Dental Clinic that has one x-ray unit shared between two rooms through a wall. This allows for more effective use of technicians and resources while minimizing a patients total time for care by eliminating the moving of a patient between rooms.

The Fleet Center Medical Home (FCMH) will also share space within the new clinic. The FCMH provides care to active duty service members assigned to one of the Seabee Battalions which are staffed with their own health care professionals.

“All staff will have full access to all services within one roof to minimize transit time and provide increased access and collaboration amongst services and providers,” said Maysonet.

Also located within the new clinic will be the Families FOCUS office which provides resilience training to military children, families and couples. It teaches practical skills to help families and couples overcome common challenges related to a military life. It helps build on current strengths and teach new strategies to enhance communication and problem solving, goal setting and creating a shared family story.

“Having FOCUS collocated with all other services increases our ability to provide top notch support to the active duty service member and their families within the spectrum of care,” said Maysonet. “This concept of care allows us to provide vital referral and follow up care to our beneficiaries as well as providing a full directory of care from active duty to the individual family member before, during and after deployments.”

The clinic provides care for over 6,000 enrolled beneficiaries and provides occupational health care to over 6,000 civilian employees on board Naval Construction Battalion Center and the local area. Services provided at the clinic include primary care using the Medical Home Port Team process, audiology, dental, immunizations, laboratory, preventive medicine, substance abuse rehab, mental health, physical therapy, pharmacy and radiology.

Established in 1826, Naval Hospital Pensacola's mission is to provide patent centered superior quality health care to those it is privileged to serve. The command is comprised of the main hospital and 10 branch health clinics across five states. To find out more, visit http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/pcola/Pages/default.aspx or download the command's mobile app (keyword: Naval Hospital Pensacola).

• Date Taken: 10.19.2018
• Date Posted: 10.22.2018 12:23
• Story ID: 297241
• Location: GULFPORT, MS, US