Portsmouth, VA  –   Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) opened a Virtual Periodic Health Assessment (PHA) Clinic to address the backlog of PHAs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual clinic has been a joint venture between NMCP’s Force and Family Medicine Clinic and the Directorate for Surgical Services, and was launched on April 19.

“Because of COVID, we haven’t had a PRT since 2019 and some people have let their PHA fall to the wayside,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kayla Horton, NMCP’s Force and Family Medicine department head. “Now we have a backlog of close to 10,000 PHAs.”

The Virtual PHA clinic allows Sailors to call ahead and receive an appointment the same day or within the week.

After calling in to the clinic, a provider will review the Sailor’s individual readiness records, ensure that their labs and immunizations are up to date, and refer them to a primary care provider or specialist for follow-ups if needed.

“We want to make sure that every Sailor is fully medically ready,” said Horton. “The Surgeon General‘s Four P’s are people, performance, platforms, and power, and readiness is essential to that. We want to make sure that anyone who has ongoing issues gets the resources they need.”

As the U.S. Navy's oldest, continuously-operating military hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally-acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, along with the area's 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics, provide care for the Hampton Roads area. The medical center also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsman for future roles in healing and wellness.