History
The U.S. Naval Hospital, Sigonella is a 22-bed community hospital near the city of Catania, South of Mount Etna located on the island of Sicily. The facility opened on NAS I on 28 January 1993 and features a hardened complex designed with biological and chemical protective capabilities. The Flight Line Clinic located on NAS II, Branch Medical Clinic Bahrain and Branch Clinic Souda Bay, Greece, are part of U.S. Naval Hospital Sigonella. The hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The most recent inspection was in April 2012, which was highly successful.
The hospital, is a 3-level, 98,000 square foot facility. Average yearly workload is 35,804 outpatient visits, 285 admission (572 bed days) and 78 births. The hospital features an advanced delivery suite, providing readily available obstetric services. This service along with orthopedic care created an important quality of life improvement due to the fact that these services were only available through medical evacutation off the island. Advanced radiological services have played an important role in the Sigonella community by providing computerized tomography, mammography, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and the ability to do upper and lower gastrointestinal tests and X-rays. The Radiology Department is accredited by the American College of Radiologists.
The hospital has been designated by the Navy as the Defense Department's frozen blood depot for the European Theater with the capacity to store 6,000 units of frozen blood. The laboratory provides extensive support to the Fleet by providing liquid blood and monitors the laboratory regulatory statutes for the medical clinic's in Souda Bay, Greece and Bahrain. The Laboratory is accredited by the College of American Pathologists.
In addition to the support offered above, Medical services include: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Mental Health, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Immunizations, Anesthesiology, Aviation Medicine, Occupational Health and Preventive Medicine, Audiology, Nutrition, Substance Abuse Counseling Center (SACC), Wellness and Health Promotion, Optometry, Physical Therapy, Social Work, Pharmacy, Radiology, Radiation Health, Primary Care/Military Sick-call, and Education Development Intervention Services (EDIS).