Lejeune area battles health care shortage

Demand for resources at the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune is much greater than available on- and off-base resources, forcing some stationed in the Lejeune area to seek care outside the community.


Lejeune area battles health care shortage
By Trista Talton - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jan 25, 2009 13:18:20 EST

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — As Camp Lejeune continues to grow, so does the Naval Hospital.

This year, hospital officials plan to hire 50 mental health care professionals and a neurologist while expanding pediatric services. And by 2013 the hospital will have a new wing — an additional 109,000 square feet that will include, among other things, a larger emergency department.

But the demand for services is much greater than the resources available on base and in the local community. And the problem is expected to get worse.

The hospital’s growth is tied to the Corps’ expansion to 202,000 Marines. By the end of 2011, 11,000 additional Marines, sailors and defense contractors will reside in eastern North Carolina, home to Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station New River and MCAS Cherry Point. Roughly half are already here.

Beyond the gates, where last year an average of 2,700 Tricare patients were referred for health care each month, there is a shortage of doctors and mental health providers, a trend seen nationwide.


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/01/marine_healthcare_012509w/%2e