The Black History Month theme this year ‘Celebrating Black Health and Wellness’ does more than just resonate with Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Ferrell Timmie Sison Jenkins.
There’s a definitive personal and professional correlation for the Navy Medicine preventive medicine technician.
“This is a topic new and dear to my very own heart. Black health and wellness means to me an ‘excitement toward action’ in healthy lifestyle modeling for our culture. In my family, meal traditions were ingrained into me about how and what foods we should eat. This also included how meals were prepared and portion sizes to consume, said Jenkins, assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command (NMRTC) Bremerton, adding that with information gained throughout his life from such initiatives like ‘MyPlate,’ a program endorsed by Navy Fitness for sustained nutritional guidance and healthy eating, he has seen a gradual transformation in improvement for himself and amongst Black active duty service members.
“I see that our culture’s health and wellness is steadily improving. There’s more awareness about positive health results in being presented and practiced, and there’s a more active acceptance in using support resources for our community for mental health, reproductive health and sexual health services,” Jenkins said.
For Jenkins, a Jacksonville, Fla. native and Samuel W. Wolfson High School 2003 graduate, his Navy Medicine career – as well as upbringing – is steeped in Black health and wellness.
“I grew up in a single parent home where hard work wasn’t just an idea, but a value of life. My mother worked a full and part time job to provide for us. It wasn’t easy. At the age of 15, I worked to help pay bills and support my mother and brother as much as I could. However, I could see how much the work, home, and us was weighing down on my mother. So I decided to make a choice that set me on the path to my naval career,” recalled Jenkins, who enlisted after high school for his chosen path in Navy Medicine.
“I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. Navy Medicine was the answer. Also, I wanted to support our troops fighting in the Middle East and provide medical care for them,” said Jenkins, with over 18 years of service, currently the acting leading chief petty officer for Preventive Medicine Department.
Compiled U.S. Department of Defense statistics up to December, 2021, indicate that out of 1,319,283 active duty personnel, there are 227,974 Black service members, making up 17.3 percent of the aggregate total, compared to 13.4 percent in the U.S. With the month of February designated to celebrate those 227,974 Black men and women in the armed forces, Jenkins attests that acknowledging the initiatives, efforts and accomplishments is an positive affirmation in continuing to build upon.
“Black History Month has always meant that the quality of our community on active duty service is ever growing with the quantity of those who chooses to serve from the Black community,” Jenkins remarked.
Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham, Navy surgeon general and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery readily advocates that one of Navy Medicine’s strongest attributes is strength from diversity.
“I am reminded every day of the mission criticality of diversity, inclusion and equity,” stated Gillingham. “This February, Navy Medicine joins a grateful nation in honoring and celebrating the contributions Black Americans have made to our nation and our Navy.”
From a career spanning providing medical support to his Marines in Iraq to helping contain the ongoing pandemic, Jenkins continues to make a positive impact, personifying Black health and wellness contributions as part of Navy Medicine.
“For me, being in the Black community as a medical professional denotes Black health and wellness. Not only have I provided attributes to the Navy from my background, but also was able to active participate health and wellness programs offered to our community and share them,” Jenkins said.
Along with his current assignment, Jenkins’ Navy Medicine career has taken him to Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune; 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Food Service Support Group, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (also Camp Lejeune); Combat Service Support Group 9 (Combat Logistics Regiment 25) in Operation Iraqi Freedom III; U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay; Navy Environmental Preventive Medicine Unit 2, Norfolk Va.; Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in support of Operation New Dawn; USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74); and naval clinics at Navy Medicine Readiness Training Unit Mayport and Pearl Harbor.
He has held a variety of positions, from platoon leader at Hospital Corpsman “A” School to directorate and departmental level leading petty officer for various commands and a host of collateral duties such as assistant command fitness leader; command managed equal opportunity coordinator and command process improvement coordinator.
As has been the case with much of his command, Jenkins and other preventive medicine technicians continue to respond and provide support to help stop the spread Of COVID-19. They conduct initial contact tracing and screening for symptoms, handle close contact and follow-up investigations, manage swab exercise testing and help coordinate administering COVID vaccinations.
“My team actively monitors, reports, and educates on the latest COVID -19 guidelines in service of homeport ships and crews, naval station active duty staff, and adjacent tenant commands and activities for the Navy’s third largest fleet concentration in the Pacific Northwest,” stated Jenkins.
When asked to sum up his experience with Navy Medicine in one sentence, Jenkins replied, “It was the best choice I’ve ever made; wouldn’t change a thing!”
Date Taken: | 02.23.2022 |
Date Posted: | 02.23.2022 16:01 |
Story ID: | 415156 |
Location: | BREMERTON , WA, US |
Web Views: | 189 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, I Am Navy Medicine – Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Ferrell Jenkins, by Douglas Stutz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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