Health Care

Branch Health Clinic, 228-822-5792. Dental Clinic, 228-871-2606. The Branch Medical Clinic provides most routine services for active-duty service members and their families. Family practice provides continuing and comprehensive health care for active-duty family members and retirees.

When you move, TRICARE moves with you. No matter where you go in the world, TRICARE is there before, during and when you get to your next duty station.

There are steps you need to take to make sure changes to your TRICARE coverage go smoothly. Understand that when you move, you may have to use a different TRICARE option. Visit TRICARE Moving to learn more.

Before you move, you should take care of any routine medical needs, including immunizations, and fill your prescriptions so you have enough while traveling. If you need care during your move, visit TRICARE Getting Care When Traveling to learn what to do.

Filling prescriptions while traveling

You should refill prescriptions before traveling. But if you run out of a prescription drug while traveling, visit TRICARE Filling Prescriptions When Traveling.

Getting dental care while traveling

Getting dental care while traveling depends on your location and whether you are a service member or family member.

• If you are an active-duty service member within the United States or in U.S. territories, and near a military installation, you may be able to get emergency dental care at the dental treatment facility, or DTF, if available. If not, contact the TRICARE Active Duty Dental Care Program before you see a dentist and tell the contractor about your move. You will need to get an authorization before you see a dentist. The Active Duty Dental Care Program will work with you, so you can get care from a local network dentist.
• If you are an active-duty service member at an overseas location, call the TRICARE overseas regional call center to get authorization before you see a civilian dentist.
• If you are an active-duty family member within the United States, in U.S. territories or at an overseas location, you can find out if any nearby military dental treatment facility treats active-duty family members. If you're enrolled in the TRICARE dental program, call the TRICARE dental program contractor or visit their website to find a provider. You will need to get an authorization before you see the dentist.

With permanent change of station orders, ask for a copy of your medical and dental records from your military treatment facility and the dental treatment facility. Do this at least one month before your PCS date. The MTF should also transfer a copy of your record and any family records to your new duty station or you may be able to hand carry them to your new duty station.

If you want someone else to be able to get medical or dental information on you or your family while you are moving, you need to complete a DD Form 2870, "Authorization for Disclosure of Medical or Dental Information."

For more information on getting copies of medical records, visit TRICARE Request Copies of Medical Records.

The Branch Medical Clinic provides most routine services for active-duty service members and their families. The Navy Branch Health Clinic is located at 5501 Marvin Shields Blvd. and can be reached at 228-822-5792/5793. Family practice provides continuing and comprehensive health care for active-duty family members and retirees. It is the specialty clinic that integrates the biological, clinical and behavioral sciences. The scope of family practice encompasses ages 2 months through 64 years, both sexes and most medical conditions.

Currently, BMC Gulfport does not provide services to Senior Prime or obstetrics and gynecology patients. The closest medical facility supporting Senior Prime and OB patients is Keesler Medical Center in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Women's care is limited to Depo-Provera. The Depo-Provera clinic is part of the Ambulatory Care Clinic under the management of the Ambulatory Care registered nurse. This clinic is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Appointments are required. Your initial appointment will be with your primary care physician. You are required to have a current PAP smear within the last 12 months. Your medical record is required for all visits. After your initial Depo-Provera injection, your return visits will be every 12 to 13 weeks, provided there are no complications. PAP smear annual and follow-up PAP smears are performed at the BMC by appointment only. This examination is done by the medical officers, physician assistants and independent military corpsmen. You will be required to have your medical record on the day of the appointment. If you are 35 years old or older, a mammogram will be ordered for you and scheduled at Keesler Medical Center. You will be given the number to contact Keesler Medical Center to schedule the mammogram. After the PAP is complete, it is sent to the lab at Keesler. Test results take two to three weeks to return. Test results will be mailed to your home. If you have not received your results within 30 days, contact the BMC at 228-871-2810.

Pregnancy testing is available Monday-Friday before 10 a.m. as a walk-in appointment with the ambulatory care nurse. The nurse will determine if a serum or urine human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, test is needed. Results will be available the same day as the test. No results will be given via the telephone. Patients with positive results will be referred to their PCP. Active-duty patients will have confirmation of pregnancy and duty limitations per Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Instruction 6000.1B.GPT.

Family practice includes a family practice physician and staff members who possess unique attitudes, skills and knowledge, which qualifies them to provide continuing and comprehensive medical care, health maintenance and preventive services to each patient. Family practice is best qualified to serve as each patient's advocate in all health-related matters, including the appropriate use of consultants, health services and community resources.

Clinic hours are Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Fridays, 7 to 11 a.m. The clinic is closed 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch. To schedule an appointment and/or leave a message, call central appointments at 877-879-1621. The clinic asks that you arrive 20 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. If you must cancel an appointment, call and notify central appointments at once.

All eligible members must be enrolled at Gulfport Family Practice through the TRICARE office to receive medical care. To enroll, contact TRICARE. For more information, call 800-444-5445. All major medical care is provided by Keesler Medical Center, which is located 15 miles from the Seabee base.

Dental Care

The Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport Branch Dental Clinic is co-located with the Naval Hospital Branch Medical Clinic on Marvin Shields Boulevard. The clinic provides routine dental care for active-duty personnel and extremely limited, space-available care for other eligible beneficiaries. The BMC’s hours of operation are 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday-Friday. The phone number is 871-2605/2606. Sick call and recall visits are conducted by appointment and on a walk-in basis from 6:45 to 9:30 a.m., Monday-Friday.

Examinations, cleanings and other required treatment are by appointment only. True emergencies are seen anytime. Patients requiring specialty care for advanced dental conditions are often referred to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. To ensure that family members receive necessary and timely dental care, active-duty service members are required to enroll them in the Family Member Dental Plan. Dependent care is not performed by the Dental Clinic; however, enrollment forms are available at the Branch Dental Clinic.

If you have questions regarding the FMDP, call United Concordia's toll-free Customer Service Department Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST at 800-866-8499, or visit the United Concordia website. Retirees can also enroll in the TRICARE Retiree Dental Program by contacting DDP Delta at 888-838-8737.

Pharmacy Information

The CBC Medical Clinic Pharmacy is located within the Medical Clinic and is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Prescriptions are filled for military, dependents and retirees. Refills must be requested two days in advance and the pharmacy suggests that you call the Refill Telephone when you have used approximately three-quarters of your supply of a prescription. The pharmacy is closed on weekends and holidays. Refills should be picked up within seven days from the date the prescription is ready. If it cannot be picked up during this time frame, contact the pharmacy at 228-822-5783.