Photo By Jessica Dowell | 200429-N-JD875-1001 ANNAPOLIS, Md. (April 29, 2020) - Dental Officers, assigned to...... read more read more
Dental Professionals Support the Fight Against COVID-19
By Lt. Sarah Ermoshkin, DDS
At Naval Health Clinic Annapolis (NHCA), Navy dentists, dental technicians, and lab technicians provided necessary screenings of all beneficiaries seeking medical care, triaged potential Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) patients, and helped pharmacy services expand to an outdoor delivery model, allowing patients to remain safely in their vehicles. Five months ago, nearly 200 people per day walked into the clinic to pick up their prescriptions. Now, dental technicians serve as “runners” between warehouses and vehicles.
When primary services are scaled back to mitigate the spread of the virus, Capt. W. Brafford, commanding officer for NHCA and Navy periodontist, encourages his command to find new and creative ways to help answer the call to serve.
“Every change we make is geared toward protecting our people, maintaining mission readiness, and supporting the whole government effort of combating the coronavirus," said Brafford. "I am confident we will continue to innovate and adapt to the upcoming challenges that accompany this medical crisis.”
As a dental department head on-board a ship, participating in training that is typically reserved for oral surgeons is the rule rather than the exception. Before deploying in an operational billet, all Navy dentists must complete the Tactical Combat Casualty Course or Advance Trauma Life Support certification, which allows dentists to fill the role of triage officer onboard ships or during a deployment with Marine units.
While dental practitioners find new ways to support NHCA’s beneficiaries, a dental team is still in place to handle emergency cases and coordinate with outside dental providers to ensure all eligible beneficiaries receive maximum support.
“Being a part of the Navy Medicine family has never been quite as rewarding," said Lt. Cmdr. Caitlin Darcey, director of dental services, NHCA. "Patients and providers now feel safe to come into the clinic because of the creative steps our dental team has actively taken to combat COVID-19, which makes the entire team proud to serve in Navy dentistry."
NHCA and its branch clinics remain open and dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of our active duty service members, family members, and beneficiaries. As NHCA responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are implementing additional health protection measures to minimize foot traffic throughout the facility, help mitigate the spread of the virus, and enable us to better preserve the health and well-being of all patients and staff. The NHCA team remains dedicated to providing the safest, highest quality healthcare to our beneficiaries. As the situation continues to rapidly change, please use the following resources to learn about any changes to NHCA services:
• NHCA COVID-19 info and FAQs: https://es.med.navy.mil/sites/NHCA/annapolis/SitePages/Home.aspx
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NavalHealthClinicAnnapolis/
• Twitter: @nhcacommand
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2020 13:52 |
| Story ID: | 368900 |
| Location: | ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 158 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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