Branch Medical/Dental Clinic Mayport's new building is a structure to be proud of and one designed to deliver top-notch care for years to come. The facility opens March 1 and a dedication ceremony is planned for March 26. -Photo by Loren Barnes

New Clinic Set To Open March 1

By Lt. Cmdr. Jimmy Francis
Branch Medical Clinic Mayport

Exciting things are in store for the patients served at Branch Medical/Dental Clinic Mayport, starting in March.

The staff is moving in this week and will have the clinic up and running, open for business, serving beneficiaries starting March 1.

In order to minimize disruptions to patient care, the clinic will close at noon on February 27. Active duty walk-ins services will be available during the weekend from 8 a.m.-noon. An official dedication ceremony for the new facility is planned for March 26 at 1 p.m.

This $22 million military construction project has been 22 months in the making and represents years of planning.

Ground was broken for the new building on June 5, 2002. The long-anticipated, 102,000-square-foot building nearly doubles the existing 59,000-square-foot medical/dental clinic.

Improvements include a state-of-the-art pharmacy outfitted with the latest in automated systems, a digital radiology system capable of sending information worldwide, and an expanded medical records area.

There will also be smart boards in each conference room and the impressive rotunda entrance area will include a virtual quarterdeck equipped with wide screen television and continuous educational programming.

The new clinic will allow the staff to bring several services currently found in outlying buildings, such as community counseling, the Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Program (SARP), physical therapy, and occupation health services under one roof for the added convenience of clinic beneficiaries.

It also allows space for additional specialty care including dermatology, urology, neurology, and ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists.

This new facility represents one more way that naval nedicine continues its long-standing tradition of deploying healthcare programs and initiatives.

As defined by the Navy Surgeon General in his principles of Force Health Protection, Navy medicine has begun deployment of its Family Centered Care initiative, ''Your family is our family, every visit, every time and every day.''

Cmdr. Thomas Balestrieri, BMC Mayport's Officer in Charge throughout the development and construction phases of the new facility, said, ''We know our beneficiaries will be as pleased to be a patient in our new clinic as we are eager to provide the professional care that they deserve in this state of the art medical treatment facility. Our crew of healthcare professionals remains focused on our patient's immediate healthcare needs as well as their long-term personal health goals.''

Balestrieri expressed his confidence that the vision embodied in this new clinic will continue.

''Our commitment to our patients is the driving force for us to continuously challenge ourselves to offer better access, better services, and better quality for the Navy's third largest fleet concentration, their family members, and our deserving retirees,'' he said. ''We believe quality healthcare must be provided in an atmosphere of service, professionalism, compassion, teamwork, trust, and respect.''

Capt. James J. Ware, Commanding Officer Naval Dental Center Southeast spoke for the Dental side.

''The new Mayport Branch Clinic has 26 dental operatories utilizing state of the art digital radiography and microscopic visual capabilities for the 14 dentists and dental hygienists billeted here,'' Ware said.

''The dental clinic alone will have an annual throughput of 30,000 patient visits providing general dentistry and specialty care to include endodontics, prosthodentics, implants, oral surgery and prediodontic services for the fleet and shore Sailors in the Mayport area resulting in an annual dental health benefit of more than $11 million,'' he continued.

The new clinic will be dedicated in honor of HM2 Robert R. Ingram, USN. This Vietnam-era hospital corpsman received the Medal of Honor for his bravery and dedication for events that took place on March 28, 1966. Ingram, a Green Cove Springs, Fla. resident, will be on hand for the dedication ceremony.

The dedication ceremony will not only honor Ingram, but all the generations of naval medicine personnel who have sacrificed so much in the service of this country. Look for more on Ingram's heroism and the new Branch Medical/Dental Clinic in upcoming issues of The Mirror.