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Navy Public Health Center Concludes 49th Conference

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100331-11
Release Date: 3/31/2010 3:15:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialsit 1st Class (SW) Arthur N. De La Cruz, Navy Medicine Support Command

HAMPTON, Va. (NNS) -- The 49th annual Navy Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) Conference concluded March 25 in Hampton, Va.

More than 1,300 medical professionals from Navy Medicine, the U.S. Army, public health civilian organizations, non-governmental organizations and academic organizations from around the world attended this year's conference.

"This is our 49th year for the Navy Marine Corps Public Health Center Conference, and each year it has continued to grow in scope, in size and in the difference of the attendees," said NMCPHC Commanding Officer Capt. Bruce A. Cohen, Medical Corps.

Attendees included the Hampton Mayor Molly J. Ward and Navy Deputy Surgeon General, Rear Adm. Thomas J. Cullison, Medical Corps, who also served as keynote speaker at the opening ceremony.

"Since the last Public Health conference, Navy Medicine has been extremely busy," said Cullison. "Our focus has been on Force Health Promotion and Expeditionary Medicine in support of a full range of operations from combat trauma care to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief for every combatant commander worldwide."

Cullison also addressed Navy Medicine's patient care quality and approach.

"Our concept of care is always patient and family-centered. Our goal is to provide the best care possible to everyone entrusted to us. The work [Navy Medicine does] in ensuring mission readiness through disease prevention and health promotion in support of our national Maritime Strategy is a critical piece of this goal."

Cullison pointed out how the Navy's preventive medicine and public health experts support the maritime strategy. He said they "provide key health needs of our Sailors and Marines and ensure they are fit and ready to deploy and be the vanguard of our forward presence in support of the U.S. national security goals."

Navy Medicine preventive medicine and public health personnel provide "keen preventive medicine guidance regarding immunizations and threat assessments for each country, and work hard daily around the globe protecting our Sailors and Marines," Cullison said.

"What makes the men and women of our armed forces different from all others in the U.S.? What makes our military health system the envy of the world? The answer is service. Service is a choice. The decision to serve is a powerful one that sets us apart from others in our country and provides us with our sense of duty to our nation and our world. The cost of freedom is measured in the blood, the limbs and the lives of those heroes who make daily sacrifices to ensure our freedom and preserve our way of life."

The keynote address set the tone for the conference and emphasized this year's theme, 'Supporting Public Health Around the World.'

The theme formed the framework for the multi-disciplinary program of outcome-focused health programs in the areas of occupational health, industrial hygiene, preventive medicine, disease surveillance, health promotion, risk communications and operational medicine.

"Public health is the key element of Force Health Protection," said Cohen. "It is essential to maintaining a healthy and fit force, and minimizing casualties in both deployed and non-deployed environments. Given this direct link to the war fighter, we in the Public Health community must continually seek innovative ways to monitor and protect the health of those we serve over the full range of current and future threats. I am confident this conference provided attendees with ideas and methods to enhance our force health protection capability – both individually and collectively."