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ABOUT US

Mission

Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Pearl Harbor is comprised predominantly of military members that support Naval Health Clinic Hawaii. The command supports overall Navy and Marine Corps readiness by training military command members to ensure they are ready to deploy and provide medical support to various operational Navy and Marine units deployed, ashore or at sea. The command’s mission is dedicated to maintaining a ready medical force that delivers highly reliable, patient-centered care to warfighters and their ohana.

History

Navy medicine and dentistry in Hawaii began with the USS Iroquois (LST-78) from 1890 to 1901. In 1901, the first dispensary was built at the old Honolulu Naval Station.

In 1909, an assessment for the need of a medical and dental facility was conducted by Surgeon General Rixey, which resulted in the development of Naval Hospital Pearl Harbor. The hospital was established on 1 May 1915 with a 50-bed capacity. The first floor consisted of the officer mess hall and living quarters for civilian employees, while the second floor contained a urology ward. The basement consisted of the dispensary, laboratory, bakery, storerooms, power plant, and mortuary. Hospital Corpsmen lived in tents nearby. On 30 October 1912, LCDR W. N. Cogan was assigned as the first active duty Navy Dental Officer. After completion of the Dental Department in 1925, LCDR Cogan and LT B. C. Fowler were the first dental officers to man the new Dental Department.

From 1925 to 1930, Naval Hospital Pearl Harbor received additional renovations and major "hutments" were developed: laboratory, mortuary, and living quarters for Corpsman. In 1930, the hospital grounds were cleared and beautified with support from the University of Hawaii's Agricultural Department. Admiral Simpson did not agree with the Hospital's location. He stated, "The present hospital occupies a site, which in case of any enemy bombardment from sea, would undoubtedly be the target."

Building 76, the Ford Island Dispensary built in 1940 was damaged by a Japanese bomb during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The bomb exploded in the courtyard of the clinic after burying itself deeply in the ground. Structural damage was minimal and utilities were knocked out but the clinic continued to operate, treating the wounded until they could be evacuated. Naval Hospital Pearl Harbor treated over 960 patients following the attack, admitting 452 casualties over a three-hour period. Nurse LT Ruth Erickson stated, "The first patient came into our dressing room at 0830 with a large opening in his abdomen and bleeding profusely. Then the burned patients streamed in. About midnight we laid bodies in the basement." The USS Solace, an unarmed hospital ship at Pearl Harbor, miraculously escaped the attack undamaged. It played an essential part in the treatment of casualties and admitted over 177 patients that day.

An Act of Congress on 17 March I 941 approved the purchase of a site, sugar cane field, for the construction of the Aiea Naval Hospital. The hospital would have a capacity of 1,650 beds, thus relocating Naval Hospital Pearl Harbor from Ford Island to Aiea. In 1942, Aiea Naval Hospital opened its doors and Navy medicine flourished in Hawaii. Seven years later, Aiea Naval Hospital closed its doors. This closing and subsequent transfer of inpatient care shifted the responsibility to Tripler Army Medical Center, ending an era of Navy hospitals in Hawaii.

Building 22, Branch Medical Annex Wahiawa, was built in 1942, belonging to Navy Region Hawaii. Originally it consisted of a two-patient ward, which was later transformed into a break room. In 2006, Branch Medical Clinic (BMC) Wahiawa was renovated.

Building 32, Branch Medical Annex Camp Smith, was built in 1946 to handle dependent inpatient medical care and was attached to Naval Hospital Aiea Heights. The clinic moved to Marine Corps Base Headquarters building in Camp Smith in 2006.

The Naval Dental Clinic Pearl Harbor was established as a separate entity on 1 May 1947 to include clinics at the Naval Shipyard and Ford Island. The newly constructed dental clinic was officially opened at Pearl Harbor on 2 July 1972, consolidating the Submarine Base Dental and the Shipyard Dental Department. On 1 January 1975, Naval Dental Clinic Pearl Harbor was renamed Naval Regional Dental Center Pearl Harbor.

In 1973, all routine care for Navy and Marine Corps beneficiaries was rendered at various Navy clinics on Oahu. Ten years later, it was upgraded to an echelon IV command and was renamed Naval Medical Clinic Pearl Harbor.

Building 1407, Branch Health Clinic (BHC) Makalapa was built in two phases. The dental clinic was built in 1974 and the medical clinic was added on later. It was originally home to the Command Headquarters until it moved to the Shipyard Clinic in 1990. The PT/SMART portion of the Makalapa Clinic took over the 1975-built base library building in the 1990s.

Building 3089, BHC Kaneohe Bay was constructed in 1987. The original design of the clinic focused on energy efficiency. With an open and airy floor plan, it had an electrical power-generating windmill, open courtyard and cross-breeze windows to allow for natural ventilation. The idea was to take full advantage of the Hawaiian trade winds. Once a prominent landmark, the windmill has since been dismantled. In Spring 2020, the clinic moved to a brand new facility on Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Building 1750, Shipyard Clinic was built in 1990. The clinic had a tenant from NEPMU-6 until February 2004, later moving to its own facility, next to BHC Makalapa. The clinic became the home of the Command Headquarters and in 2006 was renamed Naval Health Clinic Hawaii Headquarters while still being referred to as Shipyard Clinic for its occupational health services.

In April 2004, the Navy Surgeon General announced the integration of Dental Treatment Facilities with Medical Treatment Facilities to align with the CNO's vision of the Navy for the future. Phase one integrated the financial functions and while phase two disestablished dental commands, with the exception of the Dental Battalions on Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

On 16 December 2004, all healthcare assets integrated under one command, Naval Health Clinic Hawaii.
The FY17 National Defense Authorization Act congressionally mandated the transition of all military hospitals and clinics to the management and administration of the Defense Health Agency (DHA). In October 2019, while transitioning to DHA, Naval Health Clinic Hawaii split and a new command was established: Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Pearl Harbor (NMRTC­PH). NMRTC-PH reports to Naval Medical Forces Pacific and Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, placing readiness as the top priority to ensure both active duty patients and staff are always mission ready.

OTHER

Naval Health Clinic Hawaii (NHCH) is composed of six geographically-dispersed clinics. The command headquarters, Occupational Medicine also known as Shipyard Clinic, and their largest primary care clinic, Branch Health Clinic (BHC) Makalapa, are located on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (JBPHH). They also have clinics at Marine Corps Base Hawaii located on Kaneohe Bay and Camp Smith, and aboard Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific in Wahiawa. BHC Camp Smith and Branch Medical Clinic (BMC) Wahiawa are active-duty only clinics. The clinic on Barking Sands, Kauai, is a small active-duty only clinic staffed by an Independent Duty Corpsman in support of the Pacific Missile Range Facility. Most clinics are within a 30 minute drive of each other.

Services include: Psychiatry, Psychology, Substance Abuse (SARP), Family Medicine, Gynecology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine/Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine, Chiropractic, Optometry, Preventive Medicine, Medical Readiness, and Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene Services.
NHCH is a member of the Hawaii Military Health System (HMHS), which includes one inpatient treatment facility, Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) (Army); 15th Medical Group (Air Force); Desmond Doss-Schofield Barracks and SCMH DDHC-Schofield Barracks (Army) and CBMH Warrior Ohana Medical Home (WOMH).
 
CONTACT US

Naval Health Clinic Hawaii
480 Central Ave
JBPHH, HI 96860
For patient services please visit the Naval Health Clinic Hawaii Website.

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