Naval Medical Center - Portsmouth –
NEX Micro Market Opens at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth
By Christina Johnson, NMRTC Portsmouth Public Affairs
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (April 15, 2024) – A ribbon and cake cutting ceremony for a new Navy Exchange (NEX) Micro Market was held in Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) Galley, April 15.
The NEX Micro Market is a self-service, self-checkout small store that offers fresh food, healthy snacks and beverages in easily accessible locations within commands. The medical center’s Micro Market is conveniently located in the Galley and provides food and drink options to staff and visitors.
“I feel privileged to stand here in front of you for the Grand Opening celebration of the NEX hospital Micro Mart,” said Brett Haftel, NEX Tidewater District operations manager. “The space is small but the benefit it provides is huge and very meaningful to those of you who work odd hours of the day and long shifts.”
Micro Market stores are nothing new to the NEX. According to NEX Command’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Bianchi, Rear Admiral, Supply Corps, U.S. Navy (Ret.), the NMCP Micro Market is the 80th one to be deployed around the world. “It’s a great concept and absolutely perfect in this kind of environment – flightlines, hospitals, food desert areas on bases,” explained Bianchi. “Bottom line, we are here, wherever our Sailors and our military members and families go. We are there for them and that’s why we exist.”
The market is always open which is a big benefit for not only to the medical center’s staff and visitors, but for those who are a part of the Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads-Portsmouth Annex (NSA HR-PA) team.
“Something that sounds as simple as fresh food and nutrition 24/7 is a huge win for our staff, especially for our most vulnerable staff who are living in the barracks,” said Capt. Brian Feldman, NMCP director/Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Portsmouth commanding officer.
“Additionally, the support staff, the security team, and trust me, we’ve given them a lot more work lately now that we’ve become a Trauma Center, and the 32 training programs that we have here. On behalf of the entire command, thank you very much,” added Feldman.
NMCP is a nationally acclaimed, state-of-the-art military treatment facility, and its Branch and TRICARE Prime Health Clinics in the Tidewater area provide medical care for warfighters, veterans, and their families. Additionally, the medical center is a premier readiness and training platform that provides superior medical training for military medical service members at the United States’ oldest, continuously operating military hospital. NMCP supports pioneering research and teaching programs to prepare new doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and hospital corpsmen for combat operations and public health crises.