Portsmouth, VA –
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (June 22, 2021) One of the last vestiges of the efforts implemented at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was removed from outside of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) Emergency Room – testing tents that provided car triage screening for the virus, June 15.
In March 2020, the large white tents were put up to triage, test and treat low-acuity patients who suspected they had COVID, and to protect the medical staff by allowing them test in an open air environment.
At that time, the design of having a drive-thru tent was to keep patients in their vehicles which would help prevent the spread of the infection in the medical center’s waiting rooms and treatment areas, according to Cmdr. Peter Cole, NMCP’s Emergency Medicine department chair. “Most patients are in and out in less than 45 minutes,” Cole added.
“With the introduction of the mass vaccination campaign, testing for SARS-Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) has decreased in scope and intensity,” said Cmdr. George Vancil, NMCP’s Public Health Services director. “To better accommodate patients, staff, and hospital patrons, and to maximize parking availability, the testing mission will displace from the soft-sided shelters into the hard structure of NMCP.”
The testing has been moved to primary care locations within NMCP and at a few of the medical center’s outlying clinics at Norfolk, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, and Oceana. This provides better service to those beneficiaries needing the year-round testing.
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.