Photo By Isaac Savitz | Staff from USNHO made up of corpsmen, physicians, and EDIS cognitive and physical...... read more read more
Okinawa, Japan Camp Foster, for those in the military and those working with the military, know that every summer, the permanent change of station (PCS) season poses many challenges for the service members, their families, the civilian workforce who support them, and, in the hospital's case, the beneficiaries. While it is a predictable event every summer, things like pandemics, shipping household goods, transportation, moving to a foreign country, and other issues create a delicate juggling act of filling positions and bringing new people up to speed in their new workplace.
It is not easy to predict areas of opportunity until very close to the time the pieces start to move. Still, USNHO providers and leadership began recognizing a potential area for extended wait times due to overlaps in providers in the pediatric department. Knowing that these are some of the most important little patients, the team created a working group and started devising ways to get little wins while waiting for all the incoming staff for the big wins.
Embracing the military's current focus on bilateral efforts, USNHO contacted the Air Force from the 18th Medical Group on Kadena Air Base in Okinawa for assistance. The Air Force, already a presence at the Naval Hospital, provides personnel for the NICCU and coordinates patient transport for our shared patient population. This summer, they further supported USNHO by providing two pediatricians, a crucial contribution to our mission.
Then as a testament to military precision and planning USNHO welcomed their new Executive Officer Capt. James Demitrack, who just so happens to be a….wait for it….a pediatrician! Everyone knows that the XO has an incredibly demanding job, but this did not stop Capt. Demitrack from jumping right in taking shifts and overnight calls while also providing after-hours and weekend sports physicals, freeing up appointments for more critical patient needs.
This lead from the front servant leadership inspired other physicians, corpsmen, and EDIS counselors to volunteer and join the effort and provide our beneficiaries with sports physical rodeos after hours and on weekends, all while freeing up all those appointments and improving access to appointments for care. A thorough social media communications plan and an AFN radio spot allowed USNHO to gain some small wins, help themselves during a crunch time, and provide their beneficiaries with other opportunities to care for their medical needs.
In the month of May, the team did 80 sports physicals on designated “sports physical days” which were offered on Tuesday afternoon/evenings and Saturday mornings. For the three Saturdays in July and August, they saw 112 sports physical appointments. There were designated sports physical dates in August with our TAD Physician Assistant from Yokosuka. He had a few sports physical dates during the two weeks before school started and completed 79 physicals. So, in all, USNHO staff completed 271 sports physicals on specified sports physical dates, in addition to the numerous physicals that were booked within a normal clinic day as routine future visits.
The leadership at USNHO supports the idea of gaining small wins everyday while waiting for the big wins to come to fruition. That philosophy coupled with the idea of “what have you done to improve your own situation” fosters independent growth and success within the organization. USNHO seeks to provide the safest high quality patient care to their beneficiaries. They are always striving to get real and get better!
The U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Okinawa (USNMRTCO) supports the Defense Health Agency's U.S. Naval Hospital, Okinawa (USNHO) as the largest OCONUS Navy Medicine medical treatment facility and stands at the ready to respond to contingency operations to support the INDOPACOM region. It is a critical regional asset for direct care delivery, regional referrals, and medical contingency operations. The staff of USNHO understands their vital role as pre-positioned, forward-deployed naval forces within the first island chain, aligned and in support of the joint military commands and operations.
Trey Savitz, Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan
Comm: 011-81-971-7024
DSN: (315) 646-7024
isaac.s.savitz.civ@health.mil
| Date Taken: | 08.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2024 22:41 |
| Story ID: | 479711 |
| Location: | GINOWAN, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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