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Bethesda Supports Troops Through High Quality of Life

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080512-07
Release Date: 5/12/2008 11:02:00 AM

By Hospitalman Dustin Perry, National Naval Medical Center Public Affairs

BETHESDA, Md. (NNS) -- Poor quality of life issues at Fort Bragg, N.C., were recently brought to light when an angry father of an Army Sergeant posted a video on a popular Web site. The video portrayed poor living conditions inside the barracks where his son was living following a deployment.

The National Naval Medical Center's Facilities and Operations Department is making sure minor issues around the hospital don't grow into larger problems. As Base Realignment and Closure-related construction begins, Barry Lincoln, assistant department head at Bethesda's Facilities and Operations Department, said it's important to continue to care for the existing infrastructure at Bethesda.

He said the National Naval Medical Center has a proactive program to identify and correct facility problems.

"We rely on good communication between our residents, senior enlisted, maintenance [crew], facilities staff and our maintenance contractor," Lincoln said. "Our goal is to ensure minor facilities issues are corrected before they become major."

Culinary Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Keerat Singh, front desk manager for Bldg.'s 60 and 61 — Bethesda's staff barracks — said the biggest difference between Bethesda and other military installations he has been stationed at are the quarterly town hall meetings. They give residents a chance to voice their opinions and concerns to building managers, he said.

"Feedback from the residents allows us to understand what they need and what they want," Singh said. "When [residents] aren't happy, they don't give 110 percent to the mission."

Culinary Specialist 3rd Class (AW) Adam Foti, building petty officer for Bldg. 61 said barracks are often looked down upon simply because they are barracks, but changes are being made to erase that stigma. If anyone notices anything wrong, it's important to notify the barracks staff so the problem doesn't continue without receiving the proper attention, he said.

"We've encountered minor problems and they have been resolved as quickly as possible, everything here is running very smoothly," Foti said. "People are going to complain sometimes because barracks are barracks, but the [facilities] staff does what they can to provide the best possible living conditions."

The recent renovation of Mercy Hall, Bethesda's wounded warrior outpatient lodging facility, is a testament of the command showing how important quality of life is for our returning heroes.

Lincoln said safety and quality of life issues are the most important concerns with regard to building maintenance.

"Facilities and Operations management along with the Director for Administration take facility issues affecting Mercy, Comfort, and Solace Halls seriously," Lincoln said. "We all try to provide the best service to our Sailors and Marines."

Singh said all of the rooms within the barracks are constantly changing to provide Sailors and Marines with more comfortable surroundings. Some Sailors are requesting to live in the barracks, he said.

"You can have a nice room, but having amenities are what makes the rooms feel like home," Singh said. "The Sailors are excited and so am I."

For more news from National Naval Medical Center, visit www.navy.mil/local/nnmc/.