(Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Trey Fowler)
17 December Naha-City, Okinawa, Japan Staff from USNHO comprised active-duty civilians and MLCs joined Capt. Kathleen Cooperman will deliver toys to the Okinawan children. Community Relations Specialist Sachiko Medoruma coordinated a toy drive benefiting local Okinawan children in the Nambu Children’s Hospital and the Rehabilitation Hospital for Children with Special Needs for the second year in a row. Sailors, civilians, and MLCs contributed the toys to be distributed to the children and Dr. Dinh Ngo, Chair of the Japanese Fellowship Program, Lt. Cdr. Amy Aparicio, Department Head for Obstetrics, Dr. Tatsunori Shizuku, and Dr. Hiroka Yoshikawa Japanese Fellows helped spread the holiday cheer.
The first stop was the Nambu Children’s Center, where the Director, Dr. Fukuzato, and Administrative Officer, Mr. Oshiro, led the group on a tour that ultimately ended with a presentation of toys for the sick children who were in-patients at the hospital. The children, some hooked up to IVs, others in bandages, all unable to live the carefree lives children their age should be doing, were shy and reluctant at first to point out a toy they would like. Eventually, all the kids had smiles on their faces and a new toy to occupy and pull them away from the realities they were facing. The children were so thankful.
Nambu Hospital is an incredible partner to USNHO and often cares for sick children who need specialized care not found at the Naval Hospital. The hospital also cares for adults and patients from Okinawa’s smaller, more remote islands. With 120 pediatric beds and 440 beds total cared for by 500 nurses, this hospital is extremely busy and important to not just the Okinawan population but also the patients from USNHO. That is why it is important to nurture these important relationships that ultimately lead to the best care for our patients.
The day’s second stop was the Okinawa Association for the Physically Challenged Children, Okinawa Dr. Jun Toyama, Director of the center and Chief of Staff. Mr. Asahiko Ikeda hosted the party from USNHO and brought in a group of disabled children who were very excited to see the visitors and receive a toy. The kids then sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in Japanese and thanked the group for the toys. The facility takes care of many patients ranging in age and disability. The facility was remodeled ten years ago and was bright, happy, and well-maintained. The staff were all very attentive to their patients. They seemed so genuinely nice and caring for such a vulnerable segment of our society. The services provided were so beneficial to the patients and their families. Services ranged from helping one young, physically disabled high school student navigate his education to speech therapy, as well as physical and occupational therapy for other patients.
The visit ended, and the toys were distributed. Everyone involved was touched by many emotions and likely will recount the day in a positive light. In a world filled with politics and opposing agendas, it is nice to set aside all the differences between each other to just share some happiness and love and spread some Christmas cheer!
The U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Okinawa (USNMRTCO) supports the Defense Health Agency’s U.S. Naval Hospital, Okinawa (USNHO) as the largest OCONUS Navy Medicine medical treatment facility and stands at the ready to respond to contingency operations to support the INDOPACOM region. It is a critical regional asset for direct care delivery, regional referrals, and medical contingency operations. The staff of USNHO understands their vital role as pre-positioned, forward-deployed naval forces within the first island chain, aligned and in support of the joint military commands and operations.
Trey Savitz, Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan
Comm: 011-81-971-7024
DSN: (315) 646-7024
isaac.s.savitz.civ@health.mil
