Working at the Naval Hospital

The job that brought me Okinawa is a position working as a contractor with the US Navy at the US Naval Hospital currently located Camp Lester.  The hospital is outdated by today's standards, having been built in the 1950's.  The history of the hospital can be found here -

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhoki/News/Pages/History.aspx

The facility is one of the largest overseas hospital in the US Navy and they provide care for more than 50,000 people on n annual basis.  Although all four branches of the US military are located in Okinawa, the Navy is the primary source for medical care for all branches other than medical clinics staffed by the Air Force.  Patients requiring medical services beyond the scope of abilities of this location are transferred to Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.  The hospital will be moving into a brand new facility under construction at Camp Foster, located about 1/2 mile from the current Camp Lester location.  Once the new facility is finished (completion is expected in late summer/early fall 2012) the entire hospital and all related services will be moved.  The current plan calls for the complete Camp Lester facility and lands to be returned to the Japanese people once services and housing has been moved onto the Camp Foster grounds.

Ssign located at the main entrance to the hospital. 

My work area is located outside the hospital itself.  Due to space constraints and, as a result of available space on the adjoining grounds, the outpatient coding department is perched in a lovely facility on the top of a hilltop.  The building itself was formerly used as a visiting officers quarters and it is secluded among a beautiful garden setting.  Unfortunately that hilltop location also means a steep climb down and back up every time I need to attend a meeting at the main hospital.  (This explains why I'm not too terribly motivated to go to the gym-I'm already walking at least a mile every day just traipsing back and forth between buildings!)

View from the bottom of the hill up to the OP Coding office.  We share the building with overseas processing department.

The picture doesn't do justice to how steep the hill is, particularly on your third trip up it.  It's also a bit treacherous when it rains as it can be slippery.  Needless to say, I wear flat shoes to work because, although I could climb it wearing heels, coming down it would simply be a comedy in the making....along with a broken ankle!

Front door to the outpatient bungalow

This is Ron, he's a retired military man who is now a contractor and working on his coding credentials.  He handles a tremendous amount of administrative tasks related to the outsourced coding contract and has been a wealth of information and assistance as I fumble my way through learning the systems and military process!

James - another co-worker who handles administrative duties and data entry functions.