Health Care

Congratulations on your orders to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay! US Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay is staffed and equipped primarily for providing general care and emergency treatment. If you have an ongoing medical or dental condition, you must obtain special clearance through the Overseas Screening Process before you transfer. Information about the process and disqualifying medical conditions may be found at Incoming Personnel’ under ‘About Us’ on the hospital website at https://guantanamo.tricare.mil

Medical Care

The Naval Hospital includes medical/surgical/obstetrics wards, operating and delivery room suites, pharmacy, X-ray, laboratory and other ancillary services. All pregnancies are risk assessed and pregnancies regarded as high-risk will require delivery at a stateside location.

The hospital has one specialist in surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedics, psychiatry and optometry. Additional specialists are available periodically.

Civilian personnel use the hospital on a fee-for-service basis. The hospital does not file any insurance claims. Non-TRICARE patients are responsible for paying for services in a timely manner and filing for reimbursement with their insurance companies TRICARE Latin America/Canada services Guantanamo Bay. The TRICARE representative at USNH GB can be reached at 757-458-2998, option 1, extension 72017 or DSN 312-660-2998, option 1, extension 72017.”

Radiology – The radiology department does not provide mammography examinations. Women 40 and older (annually) and women 39 and younger with a family history of breast cancer must obtain an examination before reporting to Guantanamo Bay. Check with your health care provider. Women requiring a mammogram during their tour will require stateside care.

Emergency care – The USNH GB Emergency Department provides level 3 Emergency Care, Emergency Ambulance Services and Urgent Care to the 6000+ residents of our Guantanamo Bay community.  
Emergency care is provided locally by our fully staffed emergency department or by stateside providers through emergency medical evacuation. Emergency care is available 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week at the emergency room, phone 757-458-2998 ext. 72690 or 911
An available resource to help you determine if you should seek emergency care call the Nurse Advice Line (NALL0 available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-874-2273)
The nurse can review and discuss your concerns and provide recommendations for urgent, emergency or home treatment/care, if applicable.

Patients are also encouraged to use their USNH GB provider to schedule appointments for common illnesses such as flu and fever; minor injuries such as sprains and strains; and regular physicals, prescription refills, vaccinations and screenings.

Allergy & Specialty Care – Specialty care is advanced care you get from a medical professional who is a specialist. This type of care is for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. If your primary care provider or manager isn't qualified to provide this care, he or she may refer you to specialist who can. Incoming personnel are advised that allergy care facilities for diagnosing and treating allergy problems are extremely limited.

• Outpatient Specialty Care includes: Ear, Nose and Throat; Gastroenterology; Dermatology; Urology; Orthopedics; Radiology; Ophthalmology and Podiatry.
• Urgent/emergent patients requiring medical care beyond the capabilities of the hospital are transferred by air medical evacuation to the U.S. for further evaluation and treatment. 

Pharmacy- Because the supply chain at Guantanamo Bay can take longer than most locations, incoming personnel are strongly encouraged to have a 90 day supply of all prescription medication for yourself and family members.

General Inquires- 7-2195
Refill Line- 7-2930
(Stateside dial (757) 458-2998, select option "1"; dial 5 digit extension 7-2339)

Dental Care

All dental patients are seen by the Dental Department, U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay. The scope of available services includes Examinations, Radiographs (x-rays), Diagnosis, Restorative (fillings, crowns, bridges), Prosthodontics (crown and bridge work), Endodontics (root canal), Exodontia (tooth extraction). Currently USNH GB Dental Department is not staffed with a Dental Hygienist and does not provide dental cleanings. 

Although the scope of available services is fairly broad, access to dental care is limited by a modest dental staff size with priority provided to patients in need of emergency treatment and routine care and emergency treatment in support of mission ready active duty personnel.

• Non-DOD contract personnel have access to treatment on a space available, fee-for-service basis, as there is no off-base alternative
• Non-urgent dental care for all non-active duty patients is limited to "Space Available" care. Availability of appointments for non-active duty beneficiaries varies greatly throughout the year 
• Routine Appointments- During regular business hours call 7-2239. If you are Stateside, dial 757-458-2998, Option 1, Extension 7-2239.
• Sick Call- Available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. After hours, emergencies are triaged through the hospital's Emergency Room and transferred to the Dental Department.

Complex pediatric care and orthodontic treatment are not available. Patients requiring complex pedodontic and orthodontic care should be disqualified for permanent change of station move to Guantanamo Bay (class three and higher). Complex, active periodontal (gum disease) treatment should be completed before PCS to Guantanamo Bay and the patient placed on maintenance prior to arrival. All patients should be screened and treated before departure with these limitations in mind.

All incoming personnel & families should be screened and treated before departure with these limitations in mind:

• Access to routine care for federal civilian employees, dependents, DoD contract personnel is limited and patients are strongly encouraged to have all dental work completed before arriving
• Non-DOD contract personnel have access to treatment on a space available, fee-for-service basis, as there is no off-base alternative
• Orthodontic treatment, Implant treatment, or complex pediatric care are not available
• Patients requiring orthodontic treatment, implant treatment, or complex pedodontic care (class three and higher) should be disqualified for PCS to NSGB 
• Complex, active periodontal (gum disease) treatment should be completed before PCS to NSGB

The phone number to the Naval Hospital Quarterdeck is 757-458-2998, option 1, extension 72239 or 72360.

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.

Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) 

It's sometimes necessary to transport patients to another medical facility to be treated when the capability to manage a patient is beyond the medical means available at USNH GB. If such a situation develops, your physician will begin the necessary paperwork to initiate the Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) process for Department of Defense (DoD), Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) sponsored eligible beneficiaries. 

Eligibility for Use of the MEDEVAC System

DoD-Sponsored Patients

• Uniformed Services patients may be provided transportation within or between theaters for inpatient and/or outpatient treatment or consultation that is unavailable locally from any DoD approved healthcare facility, and for which movement is required.
• Active Duty Family Members using TRI-CARE Standard, Retirees using TRICARE Standard, TRICARE Reserve Select, TRI-CARE Retired Reserve are eligible for medical evacuation including air ambulance services. However, these beneficiary categories do not receive cash-less/claimless service and must pay for the service upfront and then file a claim for reimbursement.
• TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Prime Remote, TRICARE Prime Overseas, TRICARE Prime Remote Overseas, TRICARE Young Adult-Prime beneficiaries are eligible for medical evacuation only if the patient must be seen quickly for their medical condition and the required care is unavailable or cannot be safely obtained in the patient’s location.

MEDEVAC Insurance

Medical evacuations from Guantanamo Bay can be in excess of $30,000. If you are not eligible for the MEDEVAC system, review your medical insurance policy to ensure it provides for medically necessary evacuation transportation. If your policy does not include this coverage you are strongly encouraged to add this coverage through your own health insurance provider or purchase separate MEDEVAC insurance and provide proof to Patient Administration.

Consumers are responsible for researching insurance options. This list of MEDEVAC insurance companies is provided for your convenience. Reference to these specific commercial products and the use of trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Department of the Navy or U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay and is not a guarantee of offerings, which can and do change. 

If you have questions, call Patient Administration at 7-2292 or 7-2019 or our Customer Relations Representative at 7-2072. (From the U.S. dial 757-458-2998 Option 1 then 5 digit extension)