The Signature
2
Direct Line
Capt. Denise Gechas, U.S. NMRTC Sigonella Commanding Officer
S
alve! My name is Captain Denise Gechas, and I am the incoming Commanding Officer for U.S. Naval Hospital Sigonella and our Branch Health Clinics at the Flight Line on NAS 2, in the Kingdom of Bahrain and in Souda Bay, Greece. It is an absolute pleasure to be back in Sicily after having completed a tour from 2016-2018 as the Senior Nurse Executive/Director of Nursing Services. There are still so many familiar faces that my husband and I feel like we’ve come home after a long vacation. In our opinion, this is what truly makes Sicily so special. I’d like to share some interesting facts about our facility. Our command’s area of responsibility (AOR) spans all four hemispheres and equates to nearly 1/3 of the planet’s surface and crosses 16 time zones in both the 6th and 5th Fleet AORs. In total, we have 533 outstanding staff members consisting of active duty service members, civilians, local nationals, and contractors supporting our mission of warfighter readiness and beneficiary care. On average, our team of professionals provides inpatient and outpatient care for approximately 12,000 beneficiaries across our AORs each year. As you know, COVID-19 has had a significant impact to our operations, specifically related to our ability to provide routine, non-urgent care. Nevertheless, our team has successfully kept the virus out the hospital, in large part due to our comprehensive screening programs, and we have resumed our operations to meet your healthcare needs in a way that is consistent with the latest public health guidance. Furthermore, all our facilities are heavily involved in ongoing COVID-19 surveillance testing to facilitate maximum visibility on how the pandemic may be impacting the
force. U.S. Naval Hospital Sigonella is YOUR local community hospital and is standing by to provide you with the quality healthcare you deserve. Although we do not have every medical or dental specialty service that is available in many large stateside hospitals, our team of referral managers is here to assist you with locating local network specialty care and will support you every step of the way. On behalf of our dedicated team of healthcare professionals, we look forward to continuing to provide you and your families with the finest medical and dental care available.
