The US Navy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) in Virginia as the first Level II Trauma Center under service and the second under the US armed forces.
The designation enables NCMP to deliver complex trauma care for severely injured civilian patients from the local area.
Alongside providing support for Level I Trauma Centers, Level II can admit almost all injury types with 24-hour availability.
Norfolk Naval Hospital, now NMCP, was established in the early 1800s and is the oldest operating naval hospital in the US. It has 10 branches and TRICARE Prime clinics across the Hampton Roads area.
In addition to providing medical services, the center offers teaching and research programs to future military nurses, doctors, and associated personnel.
The center houses approximately 5,000 experts to meet the healthcare needs of more than 420,000 patients, consisting of armed forces members, retirees, and related beneficiaries.
Supporting Local Community
During the ceremony, NMCP Director Capt. Brian Feldman underscored the usefulness of the center to about 1.5 million people in the surrounding region.
“Since achieving our provisional Level II Trauma Center designation in August, we’ve continued to strengthen our relationship with the local community and the Commonwealth,” Feldman stated.
“We are committed to being a resource to care for critically injured patients, regardless of any affiliation with the military.”
‘Critical Win-Win’
Feldman further detailed the benefits of the center’s designation to the non-military community requiring medical attention and the military medical specialists attending to their cases.
“This military-civilian partnership is a critical win-win for two reasons,” the director stated.
“First we take care of the people in our local community and have the opportunity to reduce preventable deaths, and it will also provide our military professionals with sustainable critical care experience supporting readiness and training to ensure that their skills are maintained to save lives in future military operations.”
