09 Jan. Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. The newly built University of the Ryukus Hospital is on land that once housed U.S. military families. The repurposed area will continue to serve many people: Japanese citizens, Japanese Military, American citizens, American service members, and numerous others will all count on the state-of-the-art facility for their medical needs. As you walk around the new facilities, you cannot help but notice the purpose-driven layout that leaves little chance for errors or lost time. The other seemingly obvious observation is the close proximity to Camp Foster in the city of Ginowan where the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa Hospital is located and shares a fence with the new and impressive Japanese hospital.

Dr. Gen Ouchi is a longtime friend and partner to the leadership and staff at USNHO. Dr. Ouchi and Dr. Takehiro Umemura led the tour of the new hospital for a group consisting of leadership from Naval Hospital Okinawa and leadership from the Japanese Self-Defense Force out of the JSDF Naha hospital. The new hospital is going through a "soft opening" while they are still working to finish the areas related to the university, and it is expected to open this spring. While the hospital "ramps up" operations, they will receive 10 ambulances daily and have scheduled surgeries in the new operating rooms. One area of focus that stood out in the tour was the emphasis on emergencies, disasters, and infectious medicine. Okinawa faces many potential threats from an active annual typhoon season, frequent earthquakes from being a volcanic island, tsunamis, and proximity to an ever-increasing threat over disputed land and sea areas.

Medical resources and specialties have a higher associated cost and are often hard to fill due to the long training pipeline and practical usage requirements. So, where able and when needed, the U.S. works with host nation hospitals to help provide care to our beneficiaries. When the Naval Hospital recently replaced its aging MRI machine, local host nation hospitals provided relief and coverage for the USNHO patients.

The doctors who provide the emergency care were involved all along the way and made suggestions to help the patients flow through the intake areas. There is a helicopter pad on the 12th floor of the hospital and separate landing zones on the ground that can accommodate military helos. JSDF physicians train in all the prefectural hospitals, which makes integration a little more seamless. This summer, the JSDF medical personnel worked side by side with the Navy and Air Force in joint medical support for a more extensive Marine Corps exercise.

A large hypobaric chamber that can accommodate 8-10 people and four negative pressure rooms in a 20-bed Emergency Intensive Care Unit (EICU)/ High-Intensity Care Unit (HICU) are incredible assets that convey the investment the Japanese Government and Okinawan Prefectural Government are making in their citizens and guests here on Okinawa. Another service available that will have an incredible impact on the most vulnerable of patients, pediatric cancer patients, is a school that will ensure the kids stay on track with their classes while in the hospital. The school is for long-term patients going through cancer treatment and is the only one of its kind in Okinawa.

The tour wrapped up with a renewed feeling of progress and purpose. The bulk of the group were providers who have dedicated their lives to helping others. By forming these close relationships with access to expertise, training opportunities, and advanced equipment, the patients in Okinawa and the surrounding area of operations will benefit immensely because of the relationships formed between the U.S. and our Japanese allies.

The U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Okinawa (USNMRTCO) supports the Defense Health Agency's U.S. Naval Hospital, Okinawa (USNHO) as the largest OCONUS Navy Medicine medical treatment facility and stands at the ready to respond to contingency operations to support the INDOPACOM region. It is a critical regional asset for direct care delivery, regional referrals, and medical contingency operations. The staff of USNHO understands their vital role as pre-positioned, forward-deployed naval forces within the first island chain, aligned and in support of the joint military commands and operations.

Trey Savitz, Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan
Comm: 011-81-971-7024
DSN: (315) 646-7024
isaac.s.savitz.civ@health.mil