Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Brigitte Johnston | NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Feb. 1, 2016) -- Capt. Matthew McNally, dental officer aboard...... read more read more
Subscribe
“We treat Sailors from SUPSHIP, Navy Reactor (NRO), local Marines, and Sailors that are on the several submarines that are in the yards right now, “ said Lt. Mary Catherine McGinn, Dental Department’s division officer.
At the SUPSHIP Dental Clinic, non-Ford Sailors can set up appointments for routine examinations, caps, fillings, cleanings and other minor care. Ford Sailors can be seen aboard the ship for dental examinations, check-ups, and x-rays, but have to visit the clinic for any operatives such as fillings or root canals.
“As dentists, when were on Ford we’re pretty much strictly do exams and sick call , so as far as dentistry we don’t get to do any drilling,” said McGinn. “So for us it’s fun to be over there too because we’re actually getting to do fillings and meet that need for our Sailors, so it definitely breaks up the routine.”
Ford has one dentist and one dental corpsman at the clinic to manage daily operations and provide dental care to service members.
“I’ve gotten a cleaning and a couple of check ups at the clinic,” said Machinist Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class David Sjostedt, assigned to Pre-Commissioning Unit Indiana (SS 789). “Its very convenient and I’m not losing a work day as suppose to driving down to Portsmouth or Norfolk, which would be a lot of lost productivity especially with the traffic.”
Not only does the clinic provide a convenience factor to area Sailors, but also it allows Sailors to learn about each other commands while providing adequate dental care.
“It’s interesting to me to be able to meet so many different Sailors and Marines, especially submariners,” said Hospitalman Andrea Baracosa, a Ford dental technician. “Subs don’t have dental technicians or dentists on them. They have an Independent Duty Corpsmen (IDC), so they have to come to us and I always have questions about their commands and daily routines.”
SUPSHIP Dental Clinic is a satellite clinic that is managed by Sewells Point Dental Clinic out of Norfolk but personnel attached to commands that are pre-commissioning or doing major over-hauls handle the daily operations.
“The clinic is manned by personnel attached to the carrier that is in the shipyard,” said Baracosa. “So when we go another carrier will take over and their dental staff will man the clinic.”
During Ford fast cruises the clinic has dentists from Sewells Point to work the clinic to ensure that appointment are kept and Sailor’s dental needs are met.
“We’re a small department, but we offer a lot to Ford Sailors and other Sailors and Marines in the area, “ said Baracosa.
| Date Taken: | 08.10.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2016 19:06 |
| Story ID: | 217940 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 151 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ford Dental Department: the Root for Area Sailors’ Dental Care, by PO1 Kristopher Ruiz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
