U.S. Naval Hospital Naples Offers Back to School Physicals, COVID-19 Vaccine

NAPLES, ITALY

08.31.2021

Courtesy Story

U.S. Naval Hospital Naples

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY NAPLES, Italy--It’s a one-stop shop for back-to-school students onboard Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples who participated in a hospital-sponsored clinic offering sports physicals, school entrance physicals, immunizations, and COVID-19 vaccines on base from Aug. 26-28.

Some students were surprisingly excited about the vaccine.

“I keep hearing about the vaccine on AFN and from my parents and they talked to me about how it will keep me safe and help keep my community safe. I am happy to do my part to make school safer for my friends and teachers,” said one high school junior.

U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Naples is proud of its high rate of vaccinated eligible beneficiaries, reaching 86.5% this August. What has also been just as appreciated is the behind-the-scene coordination, collaboration, and cooperation to administer the vaccine and ensure students are ready for back-to-school sports season.

“Summer is an incredibly busy time here, but it’s important that we are supporting our students who are ready to get back to their friends, teachers, and afterschool activities they look forward to each fall,” said Capt. Chad McKenzie, commanding officer, USNH Naples and Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Naples. “For so many working parents, providing weekend and evening hours to support the community is a necessity, and I am proud of the staff who made it happen.”

Cmdr. Matt Bidlack, a family physician and the hospital’s Medical Home Port department head, led the clinic’s successful evolution. Lt. Francesca Reside, Lt. Daria Seipeltyra, and a team of eight hospital corpsman completed more than 140 physicals over the three-day clinic, including a range of vaccinations for those in need.

“We had held two earlier sports physical rodeos during normal clinic hours and recognized we would need to offer the physicals outside of normal clinic hours in order to fully meet the community demand. It was a true win-win for all involved, as it provided convenience to parents and freed up over 140 appointment slots now available for other patients in need, while giving our staff an opportunity to come together as a team and make a big difference for the community. I am immensely proud of the team’s enthusiasm, their performance, and the positive impact we had.”
USNH Naples offers the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible beneficiaries. Guidance.
To schedule an appointment for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, visit
https://informatics-stage.health.mil/Naples2COVIDApp/.

USNH Naples, the largest naval hospital in Europe, serves a diverse population of over 9,800 beneficiaries. Over 500 staff members at the main hospital, branch health clinic, and Navy Liaison Detachment in Landstuhl, Germany work tirelessly to keep warfighters in the fight and provide care for their families.

• Date Taken: 08.31.2021
• Date Posted: 08.31.2021 11:10
• Story ID: 404229
• Location: NAPLES, IT