Photo By Chief Petty Officer Darren Moore | Guests at Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center's third anniversary...... read more read more
NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. (Oct. 10, 2013) -- The Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) celebrated the third anniversary of its integration Oct. 10, 2013, by opening a 53-year-old time capsule from the former Naval Hospital Great Lakes that preceded it.
Lovell FHCC Director Patrick Sullivan and Commanding Officer and Deputy Director Capt. José Acosta lead the event. Acosta pried open the shoe-box sized time capsule outside the East entrance of the Lovell FHCC Ambulatory Care Clinic, where a monument will be built out of bricks from “Building 200H,” as the Naval hospital was known locally.
“As we look at this facility, the Lovell Federal Health Care Center, we see integration at its best, and it’s going to get better,” Acosta said. “Today is a day of celebration. We celebrate all the good things that happened at Building 200H; we celebrate the birthday of the Lovell Federal Health Care Center, and we look forward to some great days as we work together on behalf of all of our patients.”
On Oct. 1, 2010, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs integrated medical services in the Great Lakes, Ill., area for Navy recruits, other active duty military and their dependents, and veterans, to create the first and only federal health care center in the nation.
The Naval hospital building overlooked Lake Michigan and stood as one of the tallest structures on the grounds of Naval Station Great Lakes until it was demolished earlier this year. The hospital downsized and was renamed the Naval Health Clinic before it closed its doors for good when Lovell FHCC opened.
The time capsule – a 4-inch tall, 6-by-16-inch steel box – was buried by staff of Naval Hospital Great Lakes when the facility first opened.
Locked inside the time capsule was an invitation to the dedication ceremony of the then-new Naval Hospital Great Lakes, a dedication newsletter, a directory of staff officers, a daily patient personnel report, an award certificate, a copy of the Dec. 9, 1960, “Chicago Daily Tribune,” and a Dec. 7, 1960, edition of the “Chicago American” newspaper.
“Today we are here to reflect on, and celebrate, the richest history of Naval Hospital Great Lakes and the integration of that facility into the Lovell Federal Health Care Center,” Sullivan said. “As we begin our fourth year of integration, it’s important to reflect on the history of our facilities and the success of our integration. Just like Building 200H, Lovell FHCC continues to ready our warriors and care for our heroes.”
Sullivan was referring to the Lovell FHCC “promise kept” of providing comprehensive medical and dental care for every recruit entering the U.S. Navy, as well as serving veteran patients.
A few dozen Lovell FHCC employees, including some who worked in Building 200H, waited expectantly to see what the dented box contained. Navy Commander (Ret.) and Nurse Eileen Knoble, who now works in the Lovell FHCC office of organizational performance improvement (OPI), worked in Building 200H from 1999 to 2002, and again in 2007.
“It was cool to see the newspapers; some things change, some things don’t,” Knoble said. “The (Lovell) Federal Health Care Center was a great idea. It was a long time coming, and it deserves a chance. I came back to work here because of that, so I’m very excited to be working here and making sure that the integration continues forward and is as successful as it can possibly be.”
Lt. Cmdr. Karen Suftko, Lovell FHCC’s project coordinator, organized the event and also served as master of ceremonies. She said the cornerstone from Building 200H will be donated to the Naval Station Great Lakes Museum.
| Date Taken: | 10.10.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 10.16.2013 12:04 |
| Story ID: | 115218 |
| Location: | NORTH CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 778 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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