Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune will become Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, enhancing medical capabilities at Camp Lejeune and the delivery of health care for Marines, sailors, military families, veterans, and civilians.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, hosted a roundtable discussion at Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, N.C., on developing an integrated military-civilian trauma system in Eastern North Carolina.

During the roundtable, Senator Tillis announced that Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune will become the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, upgrading the trauma system designation which will pave the way for the establishment of a joint military-civilian trauma system to provide trauma care for DOD beneficiaries, veterans, and civilians. Following the roundtable discussion, Senator Tillis toured Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune.

The joint military-civilian trauma system will be the first pilot program of its kind in the nation, and will bring a number of critical benefits, including providing military medical professionals with the skills, experience, and case volume they need to perform the combat casualty care mission, and significantly reducing the transit times for many civilian trauma patients who live in areas between Greenville and Wilmington.

While Vidant Medical Center in Greenville and New Hanover Regional Hospital in Wilmington provide outstanding trauma care, many Eastern North Carolina residents live too far away to have access to timely trauma care within the all-important ‘golden hour’ following a trauma incident. A study conducted by the UNC School of Medicine’s Division of Cardiology found that the upgraded trauma system should result in a 20% decline in non-natural deaths, potentially saving about 387 lives over the next decade.

“The Navy has made tremendous strides to improve health care services for military personnel, and today’s announcement takes their commitment one step further, creating a joint military-civilian trauma system at Camp Lejeune to provide trauma services for civilians in Eastern North Carolina,” said Senator Tillis. “In addition to enhancing trauma training for military medics, this upgrade will also have a major impact for Marines, sailors, military families, veterans, and civilians in the area, providing many citizens with more timely and accessible trauma care. I look forward to working closely with military and civilian health care leaders to explore further opportunities to improve health outcomes and the experience for DOD beneficiaries and civilians.”

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