THE EXAMINER

Volume 23, No. 11 November 2015C

omm

andi

ng O

ffic

erN

aval

Hos

pita

l Pub

lic A

ffai

rs O

ffic

eB

ox 7

8825

0 M

AG

TFT

CTw

enty

nine

Pal

ms,

CA

9227

8-82

50

Did you know?...

Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital

“Serving with Pride and Professionalism since 1993”

You have the right toexpress your concernsabout patient safety and

quality of care.There are several avenues opento you:* Through the ICE website.* The Hospital CustomerRelations Officer at 760-830-2475, or any of the CustomerRelations representatives in theHospital clinics, or directly tothe Joint Commission via: E-mail at complaint@jointcommission.orgFax: 630-792-5636

The Joint CommissionOak Renaissance BoulevardOakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

To report Fraud, Waste andAbuse contact one of thebelow offices by calling:

Naval Hospital: 760-830-2344Combat Center: 760-830-7749NavMedWest: 1-877-479-3832Medical IG: 1-800-637-6175DoD IG: 1-800-424-9098

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhtp/pages/default.aspx

An Award Winning Publication

Lt. Melinda Garrett, DivisionOfficer for Sterile ProcessingDept.

Congratulations to Lt. MelindaGarrett who recently earned herSterile Processing and Manage-ment Certification. “She trainedand took the exam on her own,”said Cmdr. Susan Antle, NHTPDirector of Surgical Services.“As Division Officer for theSterile Processing Department,this is very beneficial for thehospital.”

“Managing the Sterile Proces-sing Department involves steril-izing, organizing and havingready clean instrumentation forsurgeons and medical personnelin the operating rooms,” saidLt. Garrett. “Management alsoinvolves developing a depart-ment budget and managingstaff.” Lt. Garrett said she stud-ied for about four months andthen took the certification examadministered by the CertifiedBoard for Sterile Processingand Distribution, earning a five-year certification.

Lt. Garrett Earns SterileManagement Credential

Family Readiness Group Seeks New Members, Expands Services

NHTP Celebrates the Hispanic Heritage of Its Sailors

Ms. Stefanie Williams isNHTP’s new Family ReadinessGroup president. She’s the wifeof Lt. Thomas Williams, a regis-tered nurse in the NHTPEmergency Dept. They’ve beenin the command for two years.Ms. Williams takes over as FRGpresident from Leigh-AnnSullivan who, PCSed with herhusband, Capt. Michael Sul-livan, this past summer.

The new FRG president is off toa running start with a conceptfor Deployment Coffees thatwill ease uncertainty amongfamily members and tailor carepackages to the individual needsof the deployed Sailor. “Theidea is to introduce the Sailorswho are about to deploy to theSailors who have recentlyreturned from deployment,” Ms.Williams explained. “They cancompare helpful tips; whatthose who were deployed foundto be helpful, what could have

been better. So that the deployedSailor and his or her family canminimize uncertainty and haveas smooth a deployment as pos-sible.”

The first Deployment Coffeewill be held at NHTP Com-manding Officer Capt.Lamberton’s house on base,Nov. 19, at 9:30 a.m.

“We’re looking for new mem-bers but we also want the com-munity to know we’re here as aresource,” Ms. Williams said.“Last year we had a family withthe husband deployed; the wifehad stomach flu; and they havefive children. The FRG did ameal train and we took turnsbaby sitting and cookingmeals,” Williams said.

Originally from Tucson, Ariz.,Williams says being in the highdesert feels like home. They livein Twentynine Palms, but

Stefanie works in a gift shop inJoshua Tree. “I love JoshuaTree,” she said. “There’s thisgreat, weird, eclectic mix ofpeople. I love it.”

She’s aware not everyone feelsquite as comfortable with theirfirst introduction to the MojaveDesert. “We also recommendthe best places to eat, best shop-ping, and other helpful hintsnewcomers might welcome,”Williams said.

The FRG will continue its tradi-tional role of providing warmthand friendship over the holi-days.

“In the past we’ve done holidaymeals at the barracks--Thanksgiving and Christmas--we’ll continue to do that,” shesaid. “We would like to do anEaster event this year. And we

Continued on Page 2. Pleasesee, FRG

NHTP celebrated the nation’s Hispanic Heritage in a ceremony Oct. 23 in classrooms 4 & 5. Guestspeaker was Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Raul Cervantes, who gave an overview of his place of birth,Tamasopo, San Luis Potosi, Mexico (above, left). Hospitalman Samuel Ortiz (above, right), performed amedley of modern and traditional Hispanic songs. A fiesta of delicious food was provided by NHTP staff.

2 -- The Examiner -- November -- 2015

Published by Hi-Desert Publishing, a private firm in no way connected with the Department of Defense, the UnitedStates Marine Corps, United States Navy or Naval Hospital, Twentynine Palms, under exclusive written contract withthe Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command. The appearance of advertising in this publication, includinginserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the United States MarineCorps, the United States Navy or Hi-Desert Publishing of the products or services advertised. Everything advertisedin this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex,national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the pur-chaser, user or patron. If a violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser is confirmed, thepublisher shall refuse to print advertising from that source until the violation is corrected. Editorial content is pre-pared by the Public Affairs Office, Naval Hospital, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Commanding OfficerCapt. John A. Lamberton, MSC, USN

Executive OfficerCapt. Jeffrey W. Bitterman, MC, USN

Command Master Chief HMCM (FMF/AW/SW) Carol Merricks, USN

Public Affairs Officer/EditorMr. Dave Marks

Command OmbudsmanMr. J.Wesley Bassard (760) 668-1348 email: nhtpombudsman@yahoo.com

The Examiner welcomes your comments and suggestions concerning the publication. Deadline for submission of arti-cles is the 15th of each month for the following month’s edition. Any format is welcome, however, the preferredmethod of submission is by e-mail or by computer disk.

How to reach us...Commanding Officer Naval HospitalPublic Affairs OfficeBox 788250 MAGTFTCTwentynine Palms, CA 92278-8250Com: (760) 830-2362DSN: 230-2362E-mail: david.m.marks.civ@mail.milHi-Desert Publishing Company56445 Twentynine Palms HighwayYucca Valley, CA 92284Com: (760) 365-3315FAX: (760) 365-8686

Patients seen in September -- 9,759Appointment No Shows in September -- 855

In September we had an 9.7 percent no-show rate. Weneed to keep trending downward by keeping theappointments we make, or by canceling in enough timefor someone else to use the slot...

To help patients obtain appointments, the NavalHospital now shows the number of open appointmentslots each day on the hospital Facebook site, check itout. On Facebook, search: Naval Hospital TwentyninePalms.

To make an appointment call -- 760-830-2752

To cancel an appointment call -- 760-830-2369

usually have a booth at hospitalevents, like the Family FunNight, just to let people knowwe’re here.

“The big project last year wasthe flood house. Cmdr. Weiss’sJoshua Tree home was severelydamaged from flooding, and wehelped with cleanup andrepairs.”

To raise money to fund its activ-ities FRG members can fre-quently be seen selling bakedgoods outside the NHTPChaplain’s office.

When asked who she considersthe best baker, Ms. Williamsimmediately responds, “JenniferFlores and her kids. Jennifer’sson and daughter, Ethan andAmber, are also in the FRG andare incredible bakers. I thinkEthan does the baking andAmber does the decorating.Amber made a cake last yearthat sold for $100.”

Ms. Williams notes that beyondfurnishing services for Sailorsand their families, the FRG pro-vides a sense of community.“The closest friends I’ve madeover the past two years arethrough the FRG,” she notes.

The Family Readiness Group isopen to all hands, enlisted, offi-cers and their family members.More information is availablefrom the group’s Facebookpage: FR+G29Palms (it’s aclosed group, but once found,simply request membership), orthrough email:FRG29P@yahoo.com.

FRG, continued from Page 1

Ms. Mary Ellen Hogan, NHTP Quality Management Dept. Head, presents a brown-bag lecture Oct. 21.,Learn How to Develop an Effective Process Improvement Plan. Ms. Hogan is a certified black belt inLean Six Sigma and presented in conjunction with the NHTP Professional Development Committee.

Many of us find that we need tohelp care for aging parents orother loved ones who live faraway. Caregiving can be diffi-cult and time-consuming, but itcan also be rewarding.

An online booklet from NIH,called So Far Away: TwentyQuestions and Answers forLong-Distance Caregiving, isfilled with ideas that can helpmake caring for a loved onefrom afar more manageable andless stressful.

Anyone, anywhere can be along-distance caregiver.Caregiving might involve man-aging an elderly aunt’s budgetor helping your dad sort throughmedical bills. You might checkthe references of a home healthaide, or try to take some pres-sure off a sibling who lives inthe same town as your agingrelatives.

So Far Away gives straightfor-ward answers to 20 commonquestions faced by long-distancecaregivers. Visitwww.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/LongDistanceCaregiving to read or downloadthe online publication.

Helping OlderLoved Onesfrom AfarReprinted from NationalInstitutes of Health (NIH) web-site:https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/

By Cmdr. Wendy Stone, Director, NHTP Public Health Directorate

The headlines have been startling. CNN says, "Sitting for hours canshave years off life." Men's Health magazine declared in bold type,"Why your desk job is slowly killing you." Google "sitting disease"and the first link is just-stand.org, where anyonecan down- load a free "infographic" featuring askeleton typing away at adesk.

Sitting dis- ease is gettingmuch pub- licity lately-andfor good reason. The sci-entific evi- dence is mount-ing that being idle forlong stretches, day inand day out, may be theroot of our nation's poorstate of health, contribut-ing to not only back painand obesi- ty but type 2 dia-betes, heart disease andeven cer- tain types ofcolon and other cancers.

The Directorate forPublic Health has threeIndustrial Hygienists thatare trained in ergonomicassess- ments. Theyinvestigat- ed alternativesfor sitting and selected anadjustable standing deskthat had the most flexi-bility to configure thework space to the worker.Ten staff members in the directorate are now spending the majority oftheir computer time standing and the remaining staff are clamoring formore. If you would like information on the model that the DPHselected contact Mr Chris White, Industrial Hygiene Technician at830-2450.

2X3Smith’s Family

Properties

Preventive Medicine CornerSubmit Questions/Concerns and Tanya Will Provide Answers

Tanya StuckeyDear Tanya,

I'm new to military life andhave never lived in a smalltown. I am from New York Citywhere everything is at your fin-gertips. I have only been herefor a few weeks and I am look-ing for a primary care doctor.My husband drove me by theNaval Hospital and said that iswhere I will go to see a doctor.Could you please explain to mehow the smaller hospitals likethe one here on base is able toprovide the necessary servicesin one building? Signed,--Just Asking

Dear Asking,

Thank you for your question asI am sure there are others whoare new to the area and areinterested in knowing how ourhospital handles the demands ofvarious medical needs withinour diverse population.

Twentynine Palms is certainlydifferent from New York Cityand it is expected that uponarriving, especially if you arefrom a metropolis, to experienceculture shock as you catch thefirst glimpse of our desert para-dise. Don’t let the small exteriorfool you; there are big thingswaiting just beyond those doors!I am proud to say that I have thepleasure of working with adynamic team that makes yourhealth and well-being a priority.Our hospital consists of clinicareas that include anImmunization clinic, FamilyMedicine, Internal Medicine,OB/GYN, Optometry,Emergency Room (open 24/7),Physical Therapy Dept.,Radiology, in-house Lab andPharmacy. On the upper level,you will find our Maternal andInfant Nursing Dept., and theOrthopedics and Surgical Ward.

The Examiner--November 2015-- 3

A mental health clinic is locatedjust a short drive from the hos-pital near the dental clinic onbase.

And that’s not all! As needsgrow, so have our services. Weare currently installing a mam-mography unit and MRI service.Expanding access to care andmaintaining community partner-ships with larger facilities allowus to offer treatments once lim-ited to the big city. If there areservices you seek and wouldlike to discuss, please join us atour quarterly Town Hall meet-ings where beneficiaries areencouraged to attend and partic-ipate in direct friendlyexchanges with hospital leader-ship, and NHTP physicians andnurses.

Naval Hospital TwentyninePalms has a reputation for pro-viding quality care, easy accessto providers, referrals to civilianhospitals if there are serviceswe can’t offer, and a customerrelations representative who iseager to answer questions andreceive feedback, and ensureyour needs are met.

--Tanya

Mr. Matt Jung, Industrial Hygienist inthe Public Health Directorate, works ata “stand-up” work station.

Is Sitting is the New Smoking?

NHTP Commanding Officer Capt. John A. Lamberton conducts the Winter Safety Stand-Down meetingin Classrooms 4 & 5 Oct. 1 as personnel from Branch Health Clinic China Lake watch via teleconfer-encing. The Skipper discussed best practices, looking out for each other, and planning for contingencieswhen traveling.

4 -- The Examiner --November 2015

Awardees...

Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Chinnock, is awarded the Navy and MarineCorps Commendation Medal “for meritorious service in the superi-or performance of his duties while serving as Department Head,Pediatric Dept., NHTP, from July 2011 to Oct. 2015. Lt. Cmdr.Chinnock provided oversight for 17 staff in the completion of 62,491pediatric patient encounters achieving Joint Commission accredita-tion and National Committee for Quality Assurance Level IIICertification. As Pediatric Advanced Life Support Regional Trainer,he instructed 76 students and trained 12 instructors, improvingreadiness to respond to pediatric emergencies. Lt. Cmdr. Chinnock’sexceptional professionalism, perseverance and devotion to dutyreflect great credit upon himself and are in keeping with the highesttraditions of the United States Naval Service.”

Lt. Cmdr. Lacy Gee is awarded the Navy and Marine CorpsCommendation Medal “for meritorious service in the superior per-formance of her duties while serving as the Division Officer, MainOperating Room, Naval Hospital Bremerton, Wash., from Sept.2012 to Aug. 2015. Lt. Cmdr. Gee, as a member of the Navy’s firstSexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiner Team, coordinated andwas a lead instructor for 15 students in the inaugural class held atNaval Hospital Bremerton. She led four training strand-downs forthe command Safe Team and facilitated forensic exam training for37 medical professionals. Additionally, she created a computerizedpeer review documentation process for perioperative nursing, result-ing in 95 percent compliance with all measures. Lt. Cmdr. Gee’sexceptional professionalism, perseverance and devotion to dutyreflect great credit upon herself and are in keeping with the highesttraditions of the United States Naval Service.”

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Justin Harrison isawarded the Navy and Marine Corps CommendationMedal “for meritorious service in the superior per-formance of his duties while serving as AssistantLeading Petty Officer, Information ManagementDept. and Staff Education and Training, NHTP, fromDec. 2012 to Oct. 2015. Petty Officer Harrison’s ini-tiative created a medical readiness tracker thatallowed the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Centerto maintain a 78 percent total force readiness thatsurpassed the benchmark of 75. He created a trainingtracker that raised the command’s training compli-ance from 46 percent to over 90 percent. Petty OfficerHarrison’s exceptional professionalism, perseveranceand devotion to duty reflect great credit upon himselfand are in keeping with the highest traditions of theUnited States Naval Service.”

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Michael Wall isawarded the Navy and Marine Corps AchievementMedal “for professional achievement in the superiorperformance of his duties as General DutyCorpsman, Medical Home Port, while assigned toUnited States Naval Hospital Naples, Italy, from July2012 to July 2015. As Immunizations Work CenterSupervisor, Petty Officer Wall provided 450 hours oftraining to 22 corpsman, expanding clinical efficien-cy and enabling 3,662 patient encounters with zerodiscrepancies. He coordinated three influenza immu-nization events which resulted in 100 percent com-mand compliance, 92 percent Naples regional compli-ance, and increased the Naples Region Command’smedical readiness to 95 percent. A true ambassadorof Navy traditions, he led 11 honor guard details and45 colors ceremonies for the command. Petty OfficerWall’s personal initiative and unswerving devotion toduty reflect great credit upon himself and are inkeeping with the highest traditions of the UnitedStates Naval Service.”

Mr. David Ryan, NHTP Occupational HealthDept., Immunizations Clinic, is presented aFederal Length of Service Award award “ingrateful recognition and appreciation of your 15years of faithful service to the federal govern-ment.”

Hospitalman Gregory Yhap, Adult Medical CareClinic, had his reenlistment ceremony on theUSS Midway Aircraft Carrier/Museum Sunday,Oct. 18. Reenlisting officer is Capt. Faruk,Headquarters Battalion. Lt. Tony Henry read thecertificates.

NHTP Color Guard marches in the PioneerDays Parade Oct. 17. L-R: HM3 Jardine Barry,HM2 Kenny Henry, HM3 Veronica Lazaro andHN Sydney Oakley.

The Examiner --November 2015-- 5

Captain Lamberton Recognizes Staff for Culture of Safety

HM2 Joshua Bellavia, AdultMedical Care Clinic

Mr. Daniel Levine, NHTPPharmacy

Ensign Adam Connell, Multi-Service Ward

Ms. Melissa Tejeda, NHTPPharmacy

L-R: Ms. Mary Ellen Hogan,Quality Management Dept.Head; Catherine Winsor,Patient Safety; and JoshuaDaniels, Risk Manager, cut theCulture of Safety cake.

Acake cutting and award cer-emony celebrating NHTP’s

Culture of Safety took placeoutside the Chaplin’s OfficeSept. 30. “There are 680 peoplein California, namely at BranchHealth Clinic Bridgeport, atBranch Health Clinic ChinaLake and at Twentynine PalmsNaval Hospital that are livingand breathing the culture ofsafety,” NHTP CommandingOfficer Capt. J.A. Lambertonremarked. “Care is not justdefined as your medical knowl-edge, your technical skill, butit’s also the care that comesfrom the heart. These individu-als not only demonstrate techni-cal expertise but also heartfeltcaring for our patients.”

NHTP Command Master Chief Carol Merricks tries to maneuver while visually impaired by gogglesdesigned to simulate the visual effects of driving drunk during a safety stand-down Sept. 4.

First Receiver Operations Training (FROT)

Tom Bocek, right, briefs the NHTP FROT team on the timed exer-cise that will culminate their two days of semi-annual training.

Approximately five minutes into the exercise, FROT team memberserect the decontamination tent.

Following triage/diagnosis, the“patient” is treated for neurotoxinand undergoes decontamination washing.

NHTP FROT Team poses with decontaminated “casualty.” Thiscrack team accomplished the exercise in 25 minutes, 13 seconds.

6 -- The Examiner --November 2015

Sub Offer5X3

Introducing New Staff -- Welcome Aboard!

Lt. Cmdr. Lacy Gee HM1 Blair BookHM1 Jennefer English HM1 Joseph Clint CanonigoLt. Cmdr. Monica DelanoLt. Cmdr. Lacy Gee arrivedfrom Naval HospitalBremerton where she was theDivision Officer for the OR andis now staff nurse in the NHTPOR. She’s been a Navy nursefor 13 years and loves it.“Every few years you get tomove, meet new people and dodifferent things,” she said.She’s here with her husband,Martin, who has a career inculinary arts, and their twogirls Hailey, 11, and Miranda,nine. She earned her nursingdegree from Missouri WesternState College and in Decemberwill have completed herMaster’s of Science in Nursingand Health Systems Manage-ment from Johns HopkinsUniversity. “I really like ourhouse,” Lt. Cmdr. Gee says ofthe home they found in Twentynine Palms. “You cansee the mountains; it’s quiet;it’s beautiful,” she said. Forhobbies, the Gees enjoy camp-ing.

Lt. Cmdr. Monica Delano hasbeen in the Navy 21 years. Sheis our new Labor and Deliverynurse. Hometown is Houston,Texas. She arrived from NavalMedical Center Portsmouth,where she was ProgramManager for Graduate Nurses.Lt. Cmdr. Delano earned herBachelor of Science Nursingdegree from Houston BaptistUniversity and earned herMaster’s in Management, witha concentration in HealthcareManagement, from TroyUniversity. She is here unac-companied but expects her 20-year-old son, Xavier, to be join-ing her and attending collegelocally. Among her many Navalassignments, Lt. Cmdr. Delanocounts Sasebo, Japan, as mostmemorable. It’s the quality ofleadership that makes thatassignment stand out, she says.Lt. Cmdr. Delano enjoys bowl-ing, fishing reading and shop-ping. She’s found a home inTwentynine Palms.

HM1 Jennefer English arrivedfrom Port Hueneme, Calif.,where she was a CBR(Chemical, Biological,Radiological) instructor. She’sbeen in the Navy 16 years.Hometown is Anaheim, Calif.She lists Port Hueneme as herfavorite assignment in her 16years in the Navy. HM1English has a cosmetologylicense which took a year and ahalf of full-time study whichshe completed during her lastassignment. She says word ofmouth keeps her busy. “I likeoutdoor stuff,” she says in ref-erence to hobbies. “I like torun and exercise and also cro-chet.” She has three dogs, a catand a 100-pound tortoise (notthe protected local desert tor-toise). HM1 English found ahome in Yucca Valley. “I loveit,” she says. She’s earned theSurface Warfare and FleetMarine Force badges andrecently completed an audiolo-gy technician course.

HM1 Blair Book has been inthe Navy 17 years. He arrivedfrom Naval Base San Diegowhere he was in a IndependentDuty Corpsman. Born inWashington, D.C. and raised inGaithersburg, Md., he joinedthe Navy after graduating fromWest Virginia University (liber-al arts degree) for the structureand discipline. His first assign-ment was at Cherry Pointwhere he was an airspace med-ical technician for two years.Following that assignment,HM1 Book was assigned tosearch and rescue units for thefollowing 14 years. He countshis first assignment, search andrescue at Cherry Point, as hisbest. “I learned a lot and got todo a lot of fun stuff,” he said.Helicopter medivacs in Iraqwere intense, he noted. He’sfound a house in Yucca Valleyand enjoys riding his HarleyDavidson Streetglide. Hobbiesinclude playing live music, par-ticularly the bass guitar.

HM1 Joseph Canonigo arrivedfrom Surface Warfare MedicalInstitute San Diego. Beforethat he spent almost four yearswith Naval Special WarfareGroup 2 in Virginia Beach, Va.,in the Medical Home Port andsupporting Navy Seal teams.This was one of his favoriteassignments in his 12 years inthe Navy. He enjoyed thedeployments which took him“all over Africa, Europe andAfghanistan.” Hometown isLos Angeles. HM1 Canonigo’sdaughter, Noel Charlotte, 10months, lives in Redlands withhis intended. He graduatedhigh school in Cebu City, Phili-ppines. In Sigonella he wasLPO for the Human ResourcesDept. Hobbies include workingout and video games. Hisadvice to Navy recruits: “Startschool. There are a lot ofopportunities for HNs. By seiz-ing the opportunities, you willbe able to achieve your goals.”

The Examiner -- November 2015 -- 7

240th Navy Birthday Ball Celebrated at Flamingo Hotel & Casino

HM3 Sonia Duffy and HM3 Matthew Ford.

Lt. j.g. Steven Augustine and wife, Rachel.Chaplain Ronald Cooley and wife, Beth

HM2 Earlston Defoe and wife, Cicilia.

HM1 Joshua Lossius and wife, Jennifer, anddaughter, Emmalynn.

Cmdr. Wendy Stone and mother, Carol. HN Michelle Medina and HN JulioGarcia.

NHTP Commanding Officer Capt. J.A. Lamberton

R-L: Guest speaker, Fleet Master Chief Joann Ortloff (Ret.), youngest Sailorpresent, HN Jeremy Fickle, and Force Master Chief Louis Green (Ret.)

HM1 Howard Jones and wife, Nikki.

HM1 Diana Mejia and HM1Ashton Rudolf. HM3 Vince Lo and wife, Michelle

Center: Alton Merricks, Fleet Master Chief JoannOrtloff (Ret.) and Force Master Chief Louis Green(Ret.) flanked by Navy Chiefs.

8 -- The Examiner -- November-- 2015

ad