Naval Health Clinic New England

Naval Health Clinic New England is a medical clinic providing health care for the Navy that serves in the Northeast region. It is a part of Naval Station Newport. The clinic provides medical care to 70,000 beneficiaries. Despite the name, Naval Health Clinic New England should not be confused with a branch clinic. The command reports directly to Navy Medicine East, and itself maintains branch locations at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, NSA Saratoga Springs, and in Kittery, Maine.^[2][1]

Naval Health Clinic New England
Part of Navy Medicine East[1]
Newport, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41.50461°N 71.32156°W / 41.50461; -71.32156 (Naval Health Clinic New England)
Type	Military medical facility
Site information
Owner	United States Navy
Website	http://nhcne.med.navy.mil/

History

Prior Commanding Officers

Name	Photo	Term
Naval Heath Clinic New England
CAPT Marnie S. Buchanan		2018[3]-Incumbent
CAPT Phillip M. Sanchez		2016[4]-2018[3]
CAPT Maureen M. Pennington		2014[5]-2016[4]
CAPT Tina A. Davidson		2012[6] - 2014[5]
CAPT S. L. Hartzell (Acting)		April 2012[6]
CAPT Marcia Lyons		2010-2012[7]
CAPT Elaine C. Wagner		2009[8]-2010[7]
CAPT D. Elizabeth Nelson		-2009[9]
Naval Health Care New England
RADM J. Philip Van Landingham		1998 (First Commanding Officer)
Newport Naval Hospital
RADM J. Philip Van Landingham		1998 (Last Commanding Officer)

Pre-naval hospital

The first Naval facility in Newport was the Naval Academy which relocated from Annapolis for the duration of the Civil War. The Naval Academy would return to Annapolis in 1865. In 1869, the Navy opened the Goat Island Torpedo Station. Medical care for sailors in the Newport area was initially provided by the Newport Hospital which opened in 1873. With the opening of the Naval Training Center in 1883, the spread of disease among the sailors became a significant issue. A temporary wooden hospital was constructed in 1896, with the Navy purchasing 13 acres for use as hospital site in 1910. The new Naval Hospital Newport was dedicated in 1913.^[10]

Naval Hospital Newport

In 1918, during World War I, the hospital expanded in size from 100 beds to 1000 beds, and increased its Nurse Corps staff from 15 to 62. Nurses received training at the hospital prior to deployment. Additionally, lessons in French were offered.^[11] An old cruiser, USS Newark, was used as an annex and quarantine hulk at the hospital for some time.^[12][13]

In 1991, rather than renovate the now 78 year old hospital building, the Navy decided to move inpatient care to civilian hospitals in Newport.^[10] Naval Hospital Newport was used as until 1997. Following that, the clinics were moved to the current medical campus directly north of the old hospital. In February 2010, the Department of Defense declared the hospital site to be surplus.^[14][15] On September 28, 2016, the City council of Newport, RI voted to re-purpose the waterfront land at the Naval Hospital site as a public park.^[16][17]

Naval Health Care New England

In March 1998, Naval Hospital Groton, Naval Hospital Newport, and Naval Medical Clinic Portsmouth were joined into a single command, Naval Health Care New England. The consolidated command's first Commanding Officer would be J. Philip Van Landingham,^[18][19] who had been Naval Hospital's last commanding officer.^[20] Sometime after that, the command's name was changed to Naval Health Clinic New England.

Naval Health Clinic New England

In 2009, Captain Elaine C. Wagner assumed command of Naval Health Clinic New England.^[8] She would become the first female pediatric dentist to be appointed Rear Admiral (Upper Half).^[21]

In 2010, Captain Marcia Lyons would assume command of Naval Health Clinic New England from Wagner, only to be relieved of duty by her in 2012. Captain Tina Davidson would assume command following Lyons.^[7]

In 2020, Naval Health Clinic New England stopped supporting military families and dependents due to reductions caused by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2017.^[22]

References

1. "BUMEDINST 5450.165C, Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Organization" (PDF). 22 Dec 2016. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
2. "Naval Health Clinic New England". Retrieved 2018-11-21.
3. "New Skipper at the Helm of Naval Health Clinic New England". Newport Naval Station Navalog. 2018-06-08. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-11. Alt URL
4. "NHCNE Change of Command, 08 July 2016". Facebook. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
5. "Naval Community Briefs". Newport This Week. 2014-05-08. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
6. "Naval Health Clinic New England Commanding Officer Relieved". US Navy. Archived from the original on 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
7. Slavin, Erick (2012-04-12). "Navy medicine CO fired for poor command climate". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
8. "Navy.mil Leadership Biographies". US Navy. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
9. "Department Rounds: Wagner Relieves Nelson". Navy Medicine. 100 (5): 23. September–October 2009.
10. Peff, Peter (March–April 2003). "Navy Medicine in Newport, Rhode Island". Navy Medicine. 94 (2): 20–22. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
11. Brooks, Mary (1918). "The Naval Hospital, Newport, R.I." The American Journal of Nursing. 18 (8): 627–633. doi:10.2307/3405854. JSTOR 3405854.
12. "Newark I (C-1)". Retrieved 2019-01-26.
13. Korr, Mary (February 2017). "Unique hospitals dotted RI medical land and seascapes in 1917". Rhode Island Medical Journal. 100 (2): 77–78. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
14. "City hires firm to assess Navy Hospital property". Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
15. "Information on Surplus Land at a Military Installation Designated for Disposal: Newport Naval Complex, Newport, RI—Former Naval Hospital, Newport, Former Navy Lodge, Middletown, Tank Farms 1 & 2, Portsmouth, and Midway/Green Lane Parcel, Stringham Road and Portion of Defense Highway" (PDF). Federal Register. 75 (26): 6360–6361. February 9, 2010. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
16. "City of Newport Minutes of the Council Meeting September 28, 2016". Retrieved 2019-01-26.
17. "Resolution of the Council" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-01-26.
18. "J. Philip Van Landingham". Retrieved 2019-01-26.
19. "NSB New London Health". Retrieved 2019-01-26.
20. Change Of Office And Retirement Ceremony for the Director, Medical Service Corps. 2004-01-16. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
21. "Elaine C. Wagner: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
22. Kime, Patricia (2020-02-20). "These military clinics will stop taking 200,000 non-active duty patients. Here's the list". Military Times. Retrieved 2021-07-09.