Since the commencement of the partnership between Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonville and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) late last summer, a groundbreaking milestone took place. For the first time ever, a VA surgeon operated on a patient in NH Jacksonville, which has been a military treatment facility (MTF) for nearly 85 years. Dr. Mark Gould, a retired Navy captain, was the perfect candidate to perform the surgery, as he was a head member of the team that built the current integrated operating rooms (OR) at NH Jacksonville nearly a decade earlier. “I retired from NH Jacksonville in 2017 where I had been the chief of surgery, so when I heard about this opportunity to bring our veterans back to the facility, it seems liked a natural fit,” said Gould. Gould was in private practice in the Jacksonville area until the VA reached out to him and his partner a few years ago. The current VA clinic has limitations in their outpatient OR. NH Jacksonville’s OR capabilities and hospital capabilities make a perfect partner. “If we don’t have this outlet we would to release patients back to community care. Our veterans want us to take care of them,” he said. “They are very happy to be back in an MTF.” Gould, a previous Army enlisted Soldier, joined the Navy and attended medical school at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. He trained as a naval undersea medical officer, completed his residency in San Diego and a fellowship in Seattle at Harborview Medical Center. He has trained residents during his career as well as had a deployment to Iraq. Gould’s first surgery back at NH Jacksonville was on a retired master chief who had previously received the same surgery from Gould, a hindfoot fusion, back in 2011 in the same facility. Gould estimates that he has completed six cases, both outpatient and inpatient surgeries, since restarting surgery in NH Jacksonville. Two of these surgeries have been total ankle replacements. According to Gould this is a “great surgery” to restore mobility when pain is interfering with sleep, and activities of daily living. As with any surgery it needs to be done right. The naval hospital team cares for our “Veterans who need to stay overnight - this initiative brings the best of both worlds in a caring, compassionate environment,” he said. “This really extends our abilities to care for veterans.” For more information about VA care at NH Jacksonville, visit https://jacksonville.tricare.mil/Patient-Resources/VA-Patients/.