JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  –   Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonville and North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SGVHS) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have partnered, to provide inpatient care to veterans at NH Jacksonville.

The partnership provides an additional option for veterans and their physicians, when an overnight stay at the hospital is needed. It also makes efficient use of inpatient capacity at NH Jacksonville, and supports NH Jacksonville clinicians in maintaining their advanced skills by treating higher-acuity patients.

In the past, local veterans enrolled in VA health care traveled to Gainesville or Lake City VA Medical Centers for inpatient stays, or were admitted to private-sector hospitals in Jacksonville. Now, veterans’ physicians have the option to admit and medically transport veterans to NH Jacksonville for an overnight stay when medically appropriate and capacity exists.

“This is a win-win — for VA patients, who have access to inpatient care in Jacksonville; and for our staff, who have the privilege of caring for veterans,” said Capt. Teresa Allen, commander of Naval Hospital Jacksonville and commanding officer of Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Jacksonville. “Caring for more inpatients also builds our staff’s readiness to save lives, when they’re deployed on ships and in combat zones.”

Some VA staff will work on-site at NH Jacksonville in support of the shared services.

NH Jacksonville isn’t a VA provider for any other services, such as emergency room care, maternity care, outpatient visits, or pharmacy. This partnership doesn’t change any patient’s TRICARE beneficiary status or VA eligibility status.

“We are excited to share this monumental joint health care collaboration with NH Jacksonville,” said Thomas Wisnieski, director, NF/SGVHS. “One of our top priorities is to increase access to inpatient medical care in order to meet veterans’ needs. With the establishment of this partnership, we are continuing our endeavor of increasing access to care and sharing that vision with NH Jacksonville.”

NH Jacksonville serves active-duty military, their families, and retired military who have TRICARE benefits. The Veterans Health Administration serves military veterans (including those who didn’t formally retire from service).

NH Jacksonville has existing joint service initiatives with the Veterans Health Administration at the hospital’s branch health clinics in Albany, Georgia and Key West, Florida.

The NF/SGVHS is one of the largest VA health care system in the nation, providing care to over 145,000 veterans over a vast area, covering 31 counties in North Florida and 19 counties in South Georgia. The health system has three outpatient clinic sites in the Jacksonville area that provide primary care, mental health, and some specialty services.

Naval Hospital Jacksonville and Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Jacksonville deliver quality health care, in an integrated system of readiness and health. As the Jacksonville Market, NH Jacksonville and its five branch health clinics serve 163,000 active duty, family members, and retired service members, including 75,000 patients who are enrolled with a primary care manager. NMRTC Jacksonville (and its five units) ensures warfighters’ medical readiness to deploy and clinicians’ readiness to save lives.