Vol. 79, No. 2
VISIT GOSPORT ONLINE: www.gosportpensacola.com
January 16, 2015
Excellence award caps stellar year for NAS Pensacola By Janet Thomas Gosport Staff Writer
It looks like 2015 could be another excellent year for Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP). Being named the best large shore Navy installation in the world caps off a stellar year for the base, which celebrated its 100year anniversary in 2014, said NASP CO Capt. Keith Hoskins. “It just puts the icing on the cake,” Hoskins said. And there is other good news. As a result of the excellence award, the base will receive $224,000 that can be used to improve existing facilities. The competition for the Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) Installation Excellence Award was steep, Hoskins said. CNIC oversees 11 regions comprising 69 installations worldwide, and the large installation category includes bases with more than 500 people. It has been more than 10 years since NASP has come out on top of the installation excellence list.
The last time NASP won the award was 2003, Hoskins said. Hoskins credits the hard work of the NASP team and members of the Pensacola community for the win. “When I came here, I put that goal out to the leadership and the team here at NAS Pensacola, and the team answered the call,” he said. “They are the ones that made it happen. It’s the team here onboard NAS Pensacola that won this award.” But there is another challenge ahead. NASP will now compete against the top bases from other service branches worldwide for the 2015 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence, which will be announced in the spring. “So we will keep our fingers crossed,” Hoskins said. Hoskins also gave a nod to Naval Air Station Whiting Field, which won the top installation excellence honor for small installations, giving Northwest Florida
See Award on page 2
Surgeon General visits NASP, NHP ... The Surgeon General of the Navy and Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Vice Adm. Matthew L. Nathan (right) speaks with Navy Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC) Commanding Officer Capt. Paul D. Kane, (center) and NMOTC Executive Officer Capt. Kris Belland Jan. 13 aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola. Nathan visited area commands and spoke briefly at the United States Naval Aeromedical Conference (USNAC) onboard NASP. Photo by MC1 Bruce Cummins
Nathan (right) also spoke with Sailors and staff at Naval Hospital Pensacola (NHP) Jan. 12. Nathan was the commanding officer of NHP from 2004 to 2006 and visited the hospital before the conference. During his visit at the hospital, he held two Surgeon General calls, toured the hospital and visited two of the hospital’s local branch health clinics. Photo by Jason Bortz
NHP: Flu cases on the rise this year By Jason Bortz NHP PAO
The United States is currently in the middle of the annual flu season and many parts of the country, including the Southeast, are experiencing high levels of flu activity. “Across the Unites States, hospitals are seeing more than double the number of flu-related
admissions than last year,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mary Graves, department head, Preventive Medicine, Naval Hospital Pensacola (NHP). The flu season typically runs from October through April, but it is not always predictable. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population gets the flu every year and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from complications. According to Graves, there have been 55 deaths in Escambia
County in the past five years related to the flu. The majority of the deaths were with the elderly, but complications from the flu can occur at any age and are often preventable. To help combat the likelihood of contracting the flu, the CDC and NHP recommends everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu shot. All TRICARE beneficiaries can receive a free flu shot
New housing website helps property managers, landlords, service members and DoD civilians connect From Navy Installations Command Housing Program
WASHINGTON (NNS) – The Navy, along with the other military branches, has announced a new website, HOMES.mil, that is dedicated to helping service members, Department of Defense (DoD) civilians and their families with home finding services. The new DoD website provides a vehicle for community housing landlords and property managers to create and update their profiles and listings. HOMES.mil is a secure website that allows property managers, landlords and service members a means to market their properties. Those using the website are able to control their listings and upload photos and floors plans to the website.
at NHP by visiting the Immunizations Clinic or at their Medical Home Port Team if they are enrolled at the hospital. “A common myth is that the flu shot will give you the flu, but that cannot happen,” said Graves. “Some people may experience some fatigue after receiving the flu shot, but that is
See Flu on page 2
Endangered shorebird seen onboard NASP From NASP Navy Natural Resources
HOMES.mil is a service designed to connect service members and their families with community housing rental listings located near U.S. military bases.
“The Navy has worked alongside the other services to offer the best housing options to service members around the world,” said Greg Wright, Navy Housing program director. “HOMES.mil modernizes the way Navy Housing provides information on local rental properties and improves the Housing Service Centers’ customer service to Sailors and their families while helping to alleviate some of the burden and stress of (permanent change of station).”
Landlords and property managers, who have worked with the Housing Service Centers (HSCs) in the past, can create a login for HOMES.mil and are able to access their previously listed properties. Once a landlord or property manager creates a login, they can manage their property listing. These listings can include a list of amenities, photos and other information to
See Housing on page 2
On Jan. 12, the rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This robin-sized shorebird is a long-distance migrator, with some individuals flying more than 9,300 miles per year with a 20-inch wingspan. It’s been recorded at Navy bases throughout the region and Atlantic Coast. They breed in the Canadian Arctic, winter in parts of
See Rufa on page 2
The rufa red knot, a migratory shorebord observed onboard NASP, has recently been listed as an endangered species.
Published by Ballinger Publishing, a private firm in no way connected with the Department of the Navy. Opinions contained herein are not official expressions of the Department of the Navy nor do the advertisements constitute Department of the Navy, NAS Pensacola or Ballinger Publishing’s endorsement of products or services advertised.