FH Pensacola Deploys in Support of 'Operation Enduring Freedom'
Navy NewStand
Story Number: NNS030318-09
Release Date: 3/18/2003 5:16:00 PM
By Rod Duren, Public Affairs Officer, Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla.
PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- Fleet Hospital (FH) Pensacola, the contingency arm of Naval Hospital Pensacola, Fla., received orders and has now deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
FH Pensacola -- now known as Fleet Hospital 3 after arriving in theater -- has deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility to support the global war on terrorism and to prepare for future contingencies as may be directed. These deployments are prudent steps to increase military capabilities and enhance flexibility.
As the Tier 1 fleet hospital on the East Coast, FH Pensacola received the call to deploy in late February. The unit departed Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Mar. 9, and flew overnight to Kuwait City airport.
Commanding Officer Capt. Peter F. O'Connor leads the FH Pensacola staff made up of physicians, nurses, corpsmen, administrative and security personnel from NH Pensacola, its Branch Medical Clinics and other Navy medical facilities from Beaufort, S.C.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Portsmouth, Va.; Bethesda, Md.; and Great Lakes, Ill. The unit is also comprised of members from two Navy Construction Battalions (Seabees) at Kings Bay, Ga., and Key West, Fla.
NH Pensacola, the parent command of the fleet hospital unit, will continue to serve the needs of the local military and military retiree populations, said Capt. Richard L. Buck, commanding officer of the naval hospital. The remaining staff at NH Pensacola will reorganize into new care teams during the next few weeks.
"The Department of Defense has authorized the mobilization of medical Reservists to provide us the support we will need to continue to be able to carry out our mission of world-class health care effectively," continued Buck. "These Reservists are highly qualified, well experienced, and have drilled here many times before.
"Once they arrive, you can expect to see many familiar faces. Unfortunately, it may take up to two weeks for all of the Reservists to complete the mobilization process and arrive on board ready to go," he said.
"We have other resources available, also," said Buck. "This includes recalled Reservists, TRICARE providers and additional services provided through the TRICARE network."
O'Connor, a native of New Haven, Conn., also serves as executive officer of NH Pensacola. In his absence, Capt. Jeffrey Hill, a Naval Reserve Nurse Corps officer from Atlanta, will become the hospital's executive officer.
FH Pensacola became the Tier 1 Navy East Coast deployable medical unit in October 2002 after successfully completing its Operational Readiness Evaluation training in California in October.
Since the summer, the FH Pensacola unit has conducted two West Coast training evolutions that gave personnel more than 70,000 man-hours of training while operating in a field and combat-like atmosphere at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
NH Pensacola is one of six active-duty Navy hospitals with an operational unit assigned to it, designed to provide direct support as a combat zone fleet hospital. The other five Navy hospitals include the already-deployed fleet hospital at Bremerton, Wash. The others are located at Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Portsmouth, Va.
The unit is comprised of medical personnel, as well as support staff such as cooks, firefighters, postal workers and construction personnel from other Navy facilities in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Tennessee.
The physicians, nurses and medical staff of FH Pensacola are trained for triage and the treatment of potential combat injuries. They also can provide care similar to what might be seen at community hospitals in the United States, except for long-term rehabilitative care.
Fleet hospitals are stored at several strategic preposition sites around the globe and are also an integral element of the U.S. Marine Corps' Maritime Prepositioned Force.
"The quality of care at naval hospitals will not be affected by the deployment of these personnel," said Buck. "We are committed to providing consistent world-class health care. While all planning is designed to reduce delays associated with the changing workforce, there still may be delays due to a range of reasons, from increased security to limited availability of appointments in some of our specialty clinics.
"We will strive to ensure that we continue to service your needs within established TRICARE policies and procedures including access standards, referrals and pre-authorization," he said.
The first wave of more than 115 Naval Reserve personnel from various units throughout the country began arriving at Naval Hospital Pensacola March 7 to begin providing medical support to the hospital as its operational arm deploys.
A large contingent of the Reservists will come here from the headquarters command of Naval Reserve, Naval Hospital (NR NH) Pensacola, which is headquartered at Saufley Field in Pensacola.
Reservists are also expected to arrive from Bessemer, Ala.; District of Columbia-Maryland; Orlando, Fla; Atlanta and Augusta, Ga.; Shreveport, La.; Boston, Mass.; Gulfport, Miss.; and Memphis, Tenn.
NH Pensacola will continue to serve the needs of the local active duty, military retiree populations and their families, said Buck. The remaining staff at NH Pensacola will reorganize to integrate the Reservists into new care teams during the next few weeks.
Fleet hospital personnel from Pensacola have previously deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-91 and in support of Operation Sea Signal at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 1995.
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