The base has a clinic to cover all of your basic medical and dental needs. If you require a hospital, you will go to the one in town, which has English-speaking doctors, or to the nearest military hospital, which is several hours away by train.
The following information was obtained from the Military.com Installation Guide:
The Branch Medical Clinic is organized as a remote organizational element of the U.S. Naval Hospital, Yokosuka (550 miles away). Routine operating hours of the clinic are 0730 to 1600 each working day.
The services of the Branch Clinic include:
*Primary medical care in Military Sickcall and Family Practice Clinic settings. The clinic encourages all families to enroll in the Family Practice Clinic where the same team of a family practice specialist and general medical officer or physicians assist will routine manage all the family's care while in Iwakuni.
*Aviation Medicine
*Acute Care Clinic-open 24 hours per day with an onboard physician for treatment of acute, urgent medical needs.
*Emergency Ambulance Service
*A 4 bed Medical Observation UNIT-for short term treatment or observation of patients.
*Laboratory, X-ray, and Pharmacy Services
*Physical Therapy
*Occupational Health Services
*Immunization Services
*Industrial Health and Prevention Medicine Services
*Audiology and Hearing Conservation Services
*Patient and Community Health Education Services
*Medically Related Services in support of the DOD School System-The services provided by this Division include: >Child Psychology >Physical Therapy >Occupational Therapy >Clinical Audiology >Speech Pathology >Clinical Social Work >Early Childhood Education Case Management
Care for patients who require specialized services which exceed the capabilities of the Branch Medical Clinic is coordinated by the Branch Clinic medical staff.
*Special medical studies and emergency inpatient care are obtained from local Japanese clinics and hospitals. The Branch Medical Clinic staff works closely with the Japanese facilities each day and the MCAS community enjoys an excellent rapport and support arrangements with the local Japanese medical facilities. The Branch Clinic has a full-time interpreter who assists patients with their arrangements. Local Japanese facilities have also developed a number of accommodations to support patients from the MCAS.
*Each Monday and Thursday, patients who require specialized medical care and scheduled inpatient care are medically evacuated via the Air Force medical evacuation system to the U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka, the Air Force Hospital, Yokota, or to other facilities in Okinawa, Hawaii or CONUS as required.
*Each month, different specialists from the U.S. Naval Hospital, Yokosuka travel to the Branch Medical Clinic to evaluate, treat, and follow up on patients requiring specialized medical care.
*Women who have had previous mammograms are encouraged to bring a copy of the films with them for comparison with any future mammograms.
*Routine prenatal care is provided by the Branch Medical Clinic Family Practice physicians until the 38th week of pregnancy. At that time, the expectant mother is sent via medevac flight to either USNH Yokosuka or the USAFH Yokota for delivery. The choice of facilities is most often determined by the patient.
*Obstetric patients may also elect to receive their prenatal care from a local Japanese physician and have their baby in a local Japanese healthcare facility. In order to ensure continuity of care and case management, the patient must select this option by the 12th week of pregnancy. A significant percentage of patients have elected this option and patient satisfaction surveys report a very high level of satisfaction for their care and experience. The Branch Clinic staff coordinates processing of CHAMPUS claims and tracks patient bills with each Japanese facility. Not all Japanese facilities will accept CHAMPUS or wait for payment in full upon discharge from the hospital.
Patients who require frequent specialized care and care beyond the capabilities of the clinic are urged to contact the Branch Medical Clinic to determine whether they can be appropriately supported. Questions regarding medical capabilities may be directed to:
Officer in Charge Branch Medical Clinic PSC 561 Box 1877 FPO AP 96310-1877
DSN 253-4561 FAX DSN 253-6730 commercial from US 011-81-6117-53-4561
