Health Care

Naval Branch Health Clinic at Naval Support Facility Indian Head provides services for active-duty personnel and their families. Clinic services include routine and acute health care with limited ancillary support such as pharmacy, laboratory and radiology. Dental services are limited to active-duty personnel. Branch Health Clinic Indian Head Medical and Dental can be reached at 301-744-4601, or you can visit the Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River website for more information. When services are unavailable, those eligible for medical/dental care are referred to TRICARE.

The closest hospitals with an emergency room are:

• University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center located in La Plata, Maryland, 14 miles from NSF Indian Head with an average drive time of 25 minutes
• Fort Washington Medical Center located in Fort Washington is 15 miles from NSF Indian Head with an average drive time of 25 minutes.
• Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is located in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 37.5 miles from NSF Indian Head and is a 47-minute drive.
• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, located in Bethesda, Maryland, is the primary military medical facility. It is approximately 53 miles or 1.2 hours from NSF Indian Head.

TRICARE North

NSF Indian Head is part of the TRICARE North region. Health Net Federal Services, Inc. is the regional contractor providing health care services and network-provider support in the TRICARE North region.

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.