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The Navy Bloodborne Infection Management Center (NBIMC), a subordinate element of the Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command (NMCFHPC), manages the bloodborne pathogen screening program for the Department of the Navy (DoN), ensuring force-wide testing and management of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.
NBIMC evolved out of the U.S. military's response to the HIV epidemic, when mandatory force-wide HIV testing was initiated, and specialized HIV clinics were stood-up to provide multidisciplinary care to service members. Prior to its formal establishment, NBIMC's functions fell under the Navy's central HIV Program, overseen by the Navy Environmental Health Center. In 2013, NBIMC became a formal unit under the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (now the NMCFHPC), serving as an integrated HIV information management system for the DoN.
Today, NBIMC’s mission has expanded to include management of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, in addition to HIV. The program markedly enhances the readiness of Navy and Marine Corps forces by detecting these infections early and securing rapid treatment for impacted Sailors and Marines – getting them back in the fight quickly and protecting wartime blood supplies. Through oversight of testing delivery, reporting, and compliance, as well as policy development and coordination across the DoN and Military Health System, NBIMC significantly impacts the readiness, assignability, and deployability of Sailors and Marines worldwide.
As an example of NBIMC’s impact, in late 2023 the command detected disruption to HIV screening of Service members assigned to commands located in areas of the United States not served by Military Treatment Facilities and clinics. As testing transitioned to a new contract vendor, many collected blood specimens were submitted to the laboratory without accurate and newly required electronic orders, resulting in sample rejection rates of nearly 25 percent. NBIMC rapidly identified the systemic failure and convened partners across the Military Departments, Defense Health Agency, and industry to investigate the failure and repair the process. NBIMC’s rapid action and coordination quickly reduced specimen rejection rates to 1-2 percent, prevented repeat blood draws for more than 1,700 Service members, and ultimately bolstered the readiness and mission of those commands.
Today, NBIMC continues to support the health and readiness of the almost 600,000 active-duty and reserve Sailors and Marines serving across the globe, and will play a vital role in the DoN’s ability to project power and protect the United States and its interests well into the future.
The NMCFHPC enterprise plays a critical role in protecting the health and readiness of Department of the Navy and Department of War forces. Through expeditionary platforms such as the Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Units, expert consultation to commanders and medical leaders, and advanced testing and epidemiologic capabilities, our personnel provide rapid, flexible, and scalable health protection across the globe, ensuring operational forces remain medically ready and mission capable – anytime, anywhere.
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery 7700 Arlington Blvd. Ste. 5113 Falls Church, VA 22042-5113 This is an official U.S. Navy website This is a Department of Defense (DoD) Internet computer system. General Navy Medical Inquiries (to Bureau of Medicine and Surgery): usn.ncr.bumedfchva.list.bumed---pao@health.mil