Naval Hospital Pensacola

Description

It started more than 175 years ago right after the state of Florida got out of diapers Today Naval Hospital Pensacola is among one of the oldest and most respected Navy medical facilities in the country

The new fledgling Naval Hospital Pensacola command got off to its start in 1826 months after President John Quincy Adams assigned the first surgeon and officer in charge to establish a hospital at the Pensacola Navy Yard

Navy surgeon Isaac Hulse managed to begin the establishment of a Naval Hospital at the Navy Yard by renting a 2story house used as a temporary medical facility for 30 a month The home was located in the shade of the liveoak woods north of Barrancas not far from Bayou Grande

The Senior Medical Officer a native of Long Island NY spent 19 of his 33year Navy career in Pensacola He initially was on the medical staff of the West India Squadron at the Navy Yard

Although the establishment of Naval Hospital Pensacola was authorized in the 1811 Act which also provided for the Naval Hospital Fund a permanent facility was not completed until 1834 due to military construction funding delays

When the first hospital was completed at a cost of nearly 12000 it was located about threequarters of a mile from the Navy Yard on a 30foot bluff It was described as being outside the wall of the Navy Yard However the hospital established its own wall which can be seen today at Naval Air Station NAS Pensacola It was a 12foothigh brick facade enclosing the entire 15acre compound

Rumor has it the wall was constructed to keep mosquitoes from infecting patients with malaria and yellow fever It was supposedly believed at the time that these flying pests were unable to fly above eight feet from the ground

Its an urban legend because it wasnt until the late 1890s that military medicine researchers discovered the connection between the diseases and mosquitoes The wall was likely constructed merely as protection against unauthorized persons on Navy property or possible intrusion from the sea

The current Naval Hospital also has an outside wall around its compound It was completed in 1976 and continues its mission of providing healthcare and health promotion throughout the region

For more than 30 years NH Pensacola has been a quotteaching hospitalquot It is home to one of the Navys Family Practice Residency training programs where doctors come to earn their Family Practice specialty during three years of academic and handson training

The residency program prepares one for a practice in family medicine and encompasses all fields of practice During residency training the emphasis is on continuity of comprehensive care for the entire family including emergency surgical obstetric and inpatient and outpatient care

The residency training program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

The Director of Residency Training and the Graduate Medical Education Coordinator coordinate a diverse group of training rotations for the residents at the Naval Hospital Sacred Heart Hospital Keesler AFB Medical Center in Biloxi and the Naval Home in Gulfport MS

IN THE PAST YEARS the Naval Hospital has taken on a significant readiness mission with the establishment of Fleet Hospital Pensacola FH Pensacola is a fully deployable unit of more than 900 personnel that could be called upon to support American military and humanitarian interests worldwide

The unit renamed Fleet Hospital 3 while in theater most recently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom establishing itself as the firstever Navy field hospital to establish an Expeditionary Medical Facility in a combat zone

Also numerous other Naval Hospital staff members are assigned to support US Marines in the field with the 3rd Fleet Service Support Group FSSG Both the Fleet Hospital and 3rd FSSG units are deployable Yet the Fleet Hospital is the only deployable Navy military unit within the Pensacola Naval Complex

In 2001 the newest addition to the Naval Hospital was added A 2story 73000 square foot Outpatient Clinic was completed and operational Among the clinics that have found new homes are Family Practice Obstetrics and Gynecology Pediatrics Ears Nose and Throat Dermatology Ophthalmology Audiology Respiratory Therapy and Immunizations plus the Pharmacy and Patient Records

In January 2003 NH Pensacola earned the Navy Surgeon Generals Muddy Boots award and was selected by the Picker Institute as the No 1 hospital in the country among all military and civilian hospitals as rated by patients on patientcentered care The presentations were made during the opening day of the annual TRICARE Conference in Washington DC

The Navy Surgeon Generals Mathew J Bourgeois Force Health Protection Muddy Boots Awardquot was presented by Vice Adm Michael L Cowan to NH Pensacola and its 12 branch medical clinics NH Pensacola was also among the Navy medicine facilities receiving recognition for being in the top 10 percent for customer satisfaction

NH Pensacola also picked up a national Picker Institute Award as the Benchmark Hospital for the Continuity and Transition Dimension of Care 11 Health Systems 122 Hospitals 39860 patient survey responses category

The award in recognition of Naval Hospital Pensacola being the No 1 hospital in the country among all the military and civilian hospitals rated by patients on this dimension of patientcenteredness makes us proud of our efforts to date and inspires us to continue our commitment to providing health services at worldclass levels said Commanding Officer Capt Richard L Buck MC

The Picker Institute is national notforprofit entity dedicated solely to developing a patientcentered research approach to performance measurement The Institute was founded by Harvey and Jean Picker whose family refined and marketed early and subsequent xray machines

NH Pensacola has been at the forefront of Navy medicines Force Health Protection initiatives with a myriad of programs that implement and maximize the aspects of Force Health Protection The Muddy Boots symbolize the hospitals daily operations and strategic planning

The bronzed Muddy Boots were the actual boots worn by Navy SEAL and Chief Hospital Corpsman Matthew J Bourgeois 35 of Tallahassee Fla who was killed while conducting smallunit training at a remote site near Qandahar Afghanistan in March 2002

Displaying these boots and honoring Chief Bourgeois who made the supreme sacrifice for our country will be a source of inspiration to us to continue to improve our Force Health Protection efforts continued Capt Buck

In support of the mission of Force Health Protection said Capt Buck our goals are to provide health services that are safe effective patientcentered timely efficient and equitable