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Navy Medicine Announces Enterprise-Wide Reorganization

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS120830-37
8/30/2012

From U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) detailed its reorganization and realignment plan for the Navy Medicine enterprise in a message to its staff Aug. 30.

The message, sent from BUMED chief of staff Rear Adm. Rebecca McCormick-Boyle, announced the implementation phase of the reorganization designed to build a more effective, efficient and responsive organization.

"Over the past several months, Navy Medicine leadership discussed and prioritized organizational opportunities and challenges to build a better and more integrated command around Navy and Marine Corps leadership," wrote McCormick-Boyle. "As a result, we are engaged in executing a realignment plan for the Navy Medicine enterprise that will meet these requirements."

The realignment is also closely linked to Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan's strategic vision for Navy Medicine which puts an emphasis on three core objectives-value, readiness and jointness, according to McCormick-Boyle.

"We must concentrate on bringing more value to our customers and stakeholders across the enterprise and improve our ability to operate in a joint environment while maintaining a high state of medical readiness for our naval forces," McCormick-Boyle wrote. "As Vice Adm. Nathan often says, when the world dials 9-1-1, it is not to make an appointment and we are taking the steps necessary to ensure we are ready to answer without delay."

The biggest change underway involved re-scoping the organization, responsibilities and structure of what was Navy Medicine Support Command (NMSC). In July 2012, NMSC was renamed and re-scoped from a Regional command into Navy Medicine Education and Training Command (NMETC) with a primary focus on education and training. The new command is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas and has detachments in Jacksonville, Fla., and Bethesda, Md.

NMETC will work closely with BUMED to ensure Navy medical personnel continue to be equipped with the best training military medicine can provide. They will also work closely with the leadership at the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) in San Antonio to ensure Navy personnel are well-supported as well as maintain seamless and focused training for hospital corpsmen who keep Sailors and Marines medically fit and ready.

"Our job in Navy Medicine is to support the forward deployed force and ensure personnel readiness. Navy Medicine keeps the nation's naval forces medically ready to operate around the world in support of U.S. national objectives," wrote McCormick-Boyle. "Our main mission is support to the warfighter and we're in the fight to build an organization that can do just that. NMSC and its leadership did an outstanding job throughout their existence, but as the needs of our customers change and the dynamics of the environment we operate in changes, we also have to flex and adapt to meet those shifting requirements."

The overall realignment was developed to enhance accountability, command and control, and ensure representation of Navy equities both across the enterprise and throughout the Fleet.

Many of NMSC's former responsibilities will be absorbed by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) departments and many of NMSC's lower echelon commands will be functionally realigned to departments within BUMED including the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center which will be realigned under BUMED's health care operations department.

The realignment also established two new department codes, M2 to manage all research and development and M7 for education and training.

Rear Adm. Bruce Doll has been appointed as BUMED M2 and will report to BUMED in October 2012. Rear Adm. William Roberts, who is reporting as the commandant of METC next month, will serve as BUMED M7.

According to McCormick-Boyle, all personnel impacted by the realignment have been notified and implementation of plan is underway.

"Our people are our most valuable asset and they enable us to meet our missions. With that, we are committed to making the realignment process as transparent and seamless as possible for all of you," she said.

Navy Medicine is a global health care network of 63,000 personnel who provide health care support to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, their families and veterans in high operational tempo environments, at expeditionary medical facilities, medical treatment facilities, hospitals, clinics, hospital ships and research units around the world.