Annual Report 2015 

Seeing the Future

of Federal

Health

Care

Captain James A. Lovell
 

Federal Health Care Center
 
Table of Contents
 

3Leadership Commentary 

4 Who We Are 

6 By The Numbers 

8 Patient-Centered Care 

“No Veteran Dies Alone” 

10 Patient-Centered Care Taking Care of Recruits 

12 Lean 

Lovell FHCC Continues Lean Journey 

2 

14 Lean 

Pneumonia, Congestive Heart Failure Focus of RIE 

16 Talent Management 

DePaul Nursing Students Learn at FHCC 

18 Talent Management 

Developing Leaders of Tomorrow 

20 Innovation 

Green Efforts Recognized 

22 Innovation Telehealth: Bringing Care Closer to Home 

24 Five-Year Anniversary of FHCC 

Message from the Director and the Commanding Officer 


and Deputy Director
 

The Captain James A. Lovell 

Federal Health Care Center 

reached an important milestone 

in 2015, commemorating our 

five-year anniversary October 1. It 

was a day to look back on how far 

we had come from the same day 

in 2010, when the nation’s first 

federal health care center was 

established, integrating health 

care services of the Department 

of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the 

Department of Defense in North 

Chicago, Ill., adjacent to Naval 

Station Great Lakes. 

That day in 2010 was filled with 

excitement about our promise 

kept – or pledge – of Readying 

Warriors and Caring for Heroes, a 

reflection of our sacred mission 

to care for our nation’s Veterans, 

and service members and their 

dependents, in Northeast Illinois 

and Southeast Wisconsin. 

October 1, 2015 was no less 

exciting and filled with new 

promise as we celebrated our 

many accomplishments at the 

same time we looked to the 

future of federal health care, a 

future of continuing to provide 

comprehensive whole-health, 

patient-centered care, driven by 

each person we treat and what 

he or she wants out of life. 

We believe our patients benefit 

the most from this integration. 

Nothing brings us greater pride 

than seeing a civilian nurse 

mentoring a Navy hospital 

corpsman, or a Navy provider 

caring for a World War II Veteran. 

As a federal health care center, 

we offer the very best health 

care services, technology and 

innovations available from 

the VA and the Department 

of Defense, in this case the 

honorable U.S. Navy. 

This annual report will highlight 

impressive numbers, such as 

the tens of thousands of Navy 

recruits we provide health and 

dental care for annually, and 

the ever-expanding high-tech 

telehealth services we offer that 

allow our patients to be treated 

close to home. And some of the 

projects we’re most proud of 

are reflected on these pages, 

such as our ongoing process 

improvement efforts adhering 

to Lean health care business 

principles, our advancements 

in state-of-the-art dental 

technology, and our awards for 

implementing Green practices 

and being good stewards. 

But behind the numbers 

and highlights remains our 

professional and expert work 

force made up of skilled civilian 

employees and contractors, 

as well as trained active duty 

Navy personnel, all who are 

dedicated to the VA values of I 

Care – Integrity, Commitment, 

Advocacy, Respect and 

Excellence – and the Navy 

values of Honor, Courage and 

Commitment. Our One Team is 

integrated at every level, from 

the “deck plate” to upper level 

leadership. 

Our successes would not be 

possible without our staff, 

our hundreds of selfless 

volunteers, and the ongoing 

support we receive from our 

Veteran Services Organizations, 

community leaders and many 

area nonprofit groups. We thank 

you for a successful 2015, a 

groundbreaking five years, and 

we look forward to serving you 

in the years to come. 

Stephen R. Holt, MD, MPH, MSNRS 

Director 

Robert G. Buckley, MD, MPH 

Captain, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy 

Commanding Officer and 

Deputy Director 

3 
Lovell FHCC Who we are 

Sailor

Patient David Brown is the center of his care 

“Readying Warriors, Caring for Heroes” 

Lovell Federal Health Care Center is the 

nation’s only integrated federal health care 

center (FHCC) between the Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of 

Defense. Established October 1, 2010, the 

facility integrated health care services in 

the Naval Station Great Lakes area to serve 

military veterans, and members of the military

and military families. The FHCC unites two 

rich cultures rooted in a defined mission 

outlined in the National Defense 

Authorization Act 

of 2010: Leading the way for federal health 

care by providing a quality, patient-centered 

experience, and ensuring the highest level of 

operational medical readiness. 

Our combined staff of active duty Navy 

personnel, civilian employees and contractors 

is united in our sacred promise kept: Readying 

Warriors (Navy sailors) and Caring for Heroes 

(veterans). 

Our first strategic plan for the years 

2012­ 2015 identified four strategic objectives: 

Patient-Centered Care, Lean, Talent 

Management and Innovation. FHCC’s 

accomplishments, achievements and 

activities in 2015 are outlined in this annual 

report based on these objectives. 

FHCC r

Former FHCC Exective Officer Captain Kathleen Michel retires 

s take Physical Readiness Test 

aises the colors 

Transitional Residences offer hope 

Critical Care nurses make process improvement 

FHCC honors its nurses 

4 5

FHCC cuts the ribbon on a new McHenry CBOC 
FY15 By The Numbers

$502,782,027

Total Operating Budget 

S

2,980

FHCC taff 

Veteran 

Staff 

26% 

Non-Veteran 

Staff 

42% 

Active Duty 

Staff 

32% 

966,826

Outpatient

Encounters 

Physicians = 158 

Nurses = 392 

Recr

Patients P

uit 

rocessed 

49,521 

Immunizations 

275,000

Pharmacy

Prescriptions 

1,045,668 

Telehealth 

Encounters 4,989 

868Volunteers 

Operating Beds 

88 hospital beds 134 nursing home

care beds 125 Domiciliary beds

18 Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation

47,454 

Volunteer Hours 

$ 74,426.00 

Donations 

6 7
8 eared CertenC-tientaP

FHCC staff members gather to deliver a final salute to a patient who died. 

Patient-centered Care is an innovative approach to the planning, delivery and evaluation of health care that is 

grounded in mutually beneficial partnerships among patients, families and providers. It puts the patient at the center 

of a circle of whole-life care. It asks the patient the question, “What do you want out of life?” and provides him or her 

with a multi-disciplinary team to help achieve those goals, whether he wants to dance at his child’s wedding or she 

wants to run a 5K for charity. 

“We all knew bad days would come but your genuine 

care and concern helped Roman and his family to 

accept it. Many thanks from his entire family.” 

SPOTLIGHT: 

No Veteran 

Dies Alone 

None of the 66 patients 

who passed away at 

Lovell FHCC in fiscal year 

2015 died alone thanks to 

the FHCC’s “No Veteran Dies 

Alone” (NVDA) program. 

The program is coordinated 

by Lovell FHCC’s hospice and 

palliative care staff and is 

manned by compassionate 

volunteers. Volunteers make 

themselves available to sit 

with patients during their 

time of need. They listen, they 

provide comfort, they read 

to patients, and they provide 

a human touch when family 

members and loved ones 

cannot be there. 

“It’s an act of true selflessness 

to comfort a patient as they 

take their final breath,” said 

FHCC Director Dr. Stephen 

Holt. 

After a patient dies, a 

call goes out to all Lovell 

FHCC staff members on 

duty, inviting them to 

participate in a Final Salute. 

Volunteers and active duty 

and civilian employees, 

together line the hallways 

and living spaces outside 

the patient’s room to 

respectively salute as he 

or she makes her final 

journey. In accordance 

with family wishes, facility 

chaplains frequently lead 

short ceremonies in the 

room or at the hearse. 

The NVDA initiative and 

Final Salute are just two 

“It was such a 

comfort to know 

that ‘No Veteran 

Dies Alone.’ We 

will never forget 

your kindness.” 

facets of the far-reaching 

services provided to 

patients during their 

last days. Caring and 

professional hospice 

and palliative care 

professionals are there 

for patients and their 

families while patients are 

in hospice care and long 

after. 

Bereavement services are 

provided for 13 months to 

families of patients who 

die in the Intensive Care 

Unit and on the Acute Care 

floor, as well as families 

of Community Living 

Center residents who 

pass away. Each family 

receives a hospice and 

palliative care binder with 

burial and survival benefit 

information and resources. 

In addition to individual 

candle-lighting ceremonies 

at the FHCC to remember 

patients, the facility holds an 

annual memorial ceremony 

to honor patients who died 

at the FHCC during that 

year. Loved ones join staff 

members and volunteers 

to remember the patients 

and share stories about their 

lives. 

“Thank you so much for the lovely 

candle commemorating Stanley’s 

passing – I have it ‘burning’ now 

in front of his American flag, 

next to a flag from my father’s 

passing in 1938 ... he was also a 

Veteran. Everyone has been so 

comforting.” 

FHCC palliative/hospice care hosts a memorial service for patients who died at the FHCC during the year. 

9 
eared CertenC-tientaP

10 

SPOTLIGHT:
 

Navy 

Readiness; 

Taking Care 

of Recruits 

No matter what else is

going on around the

Lovell Federal Health

Care Center, and regardless 

of the season, USS Red 

Rover staff members can 

expect long lines of Navy 

recruits in the hallways 

and on the “green mat” in 

Building 1523, bright and 

early nearly every work 

day for medical and dental 

exams and immunizations. 

USS Red Rover staff saw 

approximately 50,000 

recruits in 2015. The 

recruits are assigned to 

divisions, and the medical 

and dental “in-processing” 

is done over five “P-days” – 

their introduction to life in 

the U.S. Navy. 

USS Osborne staff train on new imaging equipment 

USS Osborne staff train on new imaging equipment 

By the Numbers: USS Red Rover 

n 36,599 Dental exams n 38,087 Hearing Exams

n 193,975 Dental radiographs n 15,031 Pairs of Glasses

n 275,500 Immunizations n 16,000 SMART patients

(including flu) 

The complete work-up 

during P-days includes 

dental exams and X-rays, 

hearing tests, blood tests, 

gynecological exams for 

the women, mental health 

screening, and optometry 

exams. Then, if a recruit 

needs glasses, USS Red 

Rover personnel make the 

glasses on site, same day. 

Anywhere from 700­

900 recruits a day come 

through USS Red Rover, 

and staff members 

administer about 2,700 

shots a day. 

Throughout boot camp 

and beyond, as the recruits 

transition into student 

status at Naval Station 

Great Lakes, Lovell FHCC 

medical professionals 

continue to provide 

health care for each 

and every one. Many of 

them will have follow-on 

appointments for dental 

treatment and procedures 

at USS Osborne, 

unofficially known as 

the Navy’s largest dental 

operation. 

A few blocks away from 

USS Osborne at Recruit 

Training Command, FHCC 

staff at USS Tranquillity 

care for sailors who 

need routine and urgent 

medical care on weekends, 

as well as work days. 

Also at USS Tranquillity, 

thousands of sailors 

annually receive special 

medical exams for duty on 

nuclear submarines and in 

naval aviation, to name a 

few specialties. And sailors 

who need Sports Medicine 

and Rehabilitative Therapy 

(SMART) are treated at USS 

Tranquillity. 

These three East campus 

clinics are the epi-center 

of Lovell FHCC’s Readying 

Warriors mission. 

11 

Recruits line up outside USS Red Rover 

Recruits get dental X-rays 
ean L

SPOTLIGHT: 

FHCC 

Continues 

Lean 

Journey 

L

ovell FHCC has been 

on a Lean journey 

since 2012, and 

continued it into Fiscal Year 

2015 by implementing 

proven health care process 

improvement principles 

throughout the facility. 

Work groups have 

incorporated regular 

Lean huddles into their 

standard operating 

procedures, which 

allow every employee 

a voice in process 

improvements. Staff 

members are educated 

on Lean methodologies 

as part of New Employee 

Orientation, and all leaders 

and staff members are 

encouraged to attend 

regular Friday “ReportOuts,” where Lean teams 

report on progress made 

on each Lean project 

according to established 

timelines. 

Lean projects are ongoing 

every day at the FHCC to 

improve inpatient and 

outpatient flow and care 

by redesigning storage 

and patient care spaces, 

taking steps to reduce 

patient cancellations and 

speed patient discharges, 

streamlining medication 

procedures, improving bed 

management and making 

changes that result in fewer 

acute care readmissions, to 

name just a few. 

Lean efforts are 

categorized by Value 

Streams and achieved 

through events including 

Rapid Improvement 

Events (RIEs), ProblemSolving Events (PSEs), 

Sort-Simplify-ScrubStandardize-Sustain (5S) 

Events and Process and 

Preparation (2Ps) Events. 

Disparate groups 

of employees come 

together – each assigned 

a role – for intensive 

days of brainstorming, 

experimenting, planning, 

rehearsing and executing 

events that result 

in measurable and 

sustainable improvements. 

“Sometimes at the 

beginning of a Lean event, 

team members who don’t 

know each other, much 

less have worked together, 

look around and wonder 

how the group will come 

together and succeed in 

making a real change for 

the better,” said Lean Six 

Sigma Supervisor Rebecca 

Strini. “But by the end 

of the week, or the first 

Report Out, they meld as 

a group and come up with 

an action plan that leads to 

immediate improvements 

as well as significant and 

lasting measurable results.” 

The design for the remodeling of dental and medical spaces at the FHCC’s Fisher Clinic was the result of a staff Lean 2P project in 

2014. The long-awaited renovations began in 2015. 

Lean is an organizational philosophy of process improvement to optimize quality, efficiency and safety, achieving 

internal and external stakeholder satisfaction. 

12 

By the Numbers: Lean 

1 

Sort-Simplify- Problem Process and Rapid Scrub- Value Solving Preparation Improvement Standardize- Streams Events Events (2Ps) 5 9 Events (RIEs) 3 2 Sustain (5S) (PSEs) Events 

13
Lean
 

SPOTLIGHT: 

Pneumonia, Congestive Heart Failure 

Focus of Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) 

T

he mission was 

to reduce acute 

patients’ average 

length of stay as well as 

decrease the number of 

30-day readmissions for

congestive heart failure

(CHF) and pneumonia after

the same acute patients

were discharged.

The Lean Six Sigma (LSS) 

team was made up of 

doctors, nurses, and 

other clinicians. All were 

dedicated to providing 

the best patient-centered 

care, which translates into 

keeping patients healthy 

and at home instead of in 

the hospital. 

In LSS terms, the working 

group was dubbed 

the “Reduce 30-Day 

Readmissions for CHF 

& Pneumonia” DefineMeasure-AnalyzeImprove-Control (DMAIC) 

team. It was comprised of 

three experienced team 

members (those who 

participated in a previous 

Lean event), and the rest 

– including the team lead –

had no experience.

“The lack of familiarity did 

not impede the team’s 

rapid attainment of highfunctioning team skills,” 

said LSS Facilitator Carol 

Gilchrist. 

“In four hours, with 

the TPOC (Transitional 

Plan of Care) and VSA 

(Value Stream Analysis) 

missions in mind, this 

team managed the first 

three steps of the DMAIC 

process, prepared a plan 

for testing their theories, 

and divided into subgroups to work on the 

resulting projects.” 

The team’s goal was “to 

optimize patient care and 

transitions to decrease 

inpatient admissions/ 

readmissions for chronic 

diseases, such as CHF and 

Pneumonia.” 

The baseline data, from 

August 2013 to July 2014, 

revealed the patient 

readmission average per 

year was 16 CHF patients 

and 37 pneumonia patients. 

The team also worked 

with Medical/Surgical and 

Primary Care staff members 

who voluntarily were 

quizzed on their knowledge 

of standard care for CHF, 

pneumonia and Ischemic 

Heart Disease (IHD). Their 

initial average score was 76 

percent. 

The team met for seven 

months to follow the LSS 

steps – discuss the Plans, 

Do the work, Check the 

progress/results and Act 

on the findings, Gilchrist 

said. In November, they 

presented their report. 

“Leadership was amazed 

and excited by what the 

team had accomplished 

and sustained over the 

previous year,” Gilchrist 

said. 

There was a significant 

improvement in the 

average readmissions for 

congestive heart failure, to 

less than 10 – a 39 percent 

reduction. The readmission 

rate for pneumonia was 31 

for the year, an 84 percent 

reduction, Gilchrist said, 

and staff quiz scores went 

from an average of C+ to a 

B+ average. 

The results included “Best 

Practice” standards for 

work, new procedures 

for treatment of patients 

with CHF, better methods 

of communication, and 

improved training for 

clinical staff. 

Additionally, the team 

developed a patient “Heart 

Failure” brochure for use in 

the hospital and at home, 

which includes instructions 

for self-care, a place to note 

what to ask clinical staff, 

and documentation for 

patients to share at followup doctor appointments. 

“This outstanding team 

truly exhibited patientcentered care, talent 

management (training 

best practice), and a strong 

dedication to continuity/ 

safe transition of care,” 

Gilchrist said. 

“This outstanding team truly exhibited patient-centered care, talent management, 

and a strong dedication to continuity and safe transition of care.” 

14 15 
anagement t MTalen

16 

The nursing students work 

with patient assignments 

as early at 7 a.m., and some 

work as late as 9 p.m., 

Monday through Friday. 

They learn alongside their 

DePaul clinical instructor 

and work with FHCC 

medical professionals 

to learn daily routines, 

tasks, and policies and 

procedures. Each student 

group works for eight 

hours at a time, except for 

Critical Care, where they 

work 12-hour shifts. 

DePaul nursing student 

Kristin Rakstang jumped 

at the opportunity to train 

at Lovell FHCC. “My Dad is 

a veteran, and I volunteer 

with No Veterans Dies 

Alone,” she said. “This is the 

population I want to serve, 

hands down.” 

RN Lori Thuente, assistant 

director of DePaul’s 

Rosalind Franklin 

University site, said, “It 

has been an excellent 

learning opportunity from 

our vantage point. Our 

students have learned 

a tremendous amount 

from both staff and the 

patients. Learning how to 

care for our veterans is a 

vital component to their 

education, and we are 

so pleased to be able to 

S

ince the fall of 

2013, one affiliation 

program at Lovell 

FHCC, in particular, has 

thrived and grown. 

DePaul University School 

of Nursing students 

started out by training 

on the Medical/Surgical 

floor at Lovell FHCC, and 

in inpatient mental health. 

At the beginning of fiscal 

year 2015, the program 

expanded to include 

Critical Care and the 

Emergency Department, 

and 65 DePaul nursing 

students participated. 

Groups of five to six 

nursing students are 

assigned a DePaul clinical 

instructor to guide their 

experience at Lovell FHCC, 

said Mark Bisbee. 

“One of the main reasons 

I have been so excited 

about DePaul nursing 

students being here is the 

‘spill-over’ teaching that 

occurs from our FHCC 

bed-side staff nurses,” 

Bisbee said. “The students 

are unlicensed, so they are 

eager to learn directly from 

our nursing staff.” 

Bisbee said the 

affiliation has given 

Lovell FHCC nurses 

professional development 

opportunities. “I have 

heard from our nurses who 

admit to not having a lot 

of experience of teaching 

other nurses,” he said. 

“But this relationship has 

brought on that growth 

from within... the added 

learning environment for 

our nurses is something 

I’m most happy about.” 

Talent Management is our pledge to recruit and retain highly qualified, engaged staff, promote through recognition and 

reward, develop through succession planning and strategically deploy staff to achieve an optimal organizational structure. 

SPOTLIGHT: 

DePaul Nursing Students 

Learn at FHCC 

DePaul nursing student learns with FHCC staff 

DePaul nursing student checks patient’s feet 

By the Numbers: Academic Affiliations 

Lovell FHCC has 130 academic affiliation agreements 

with various colleges and universities, and nine more 

agreements pending. More than 1,000 students in medical 

professions benefited from the affiliations during the 2014­

2015 academic year and received some of their training 

and work experience at Lovell FHCC caring for our veterans, 

military members and military dependents. 

n 130 Current Affiliations 

n 9 Pending Affiliations 

n 1,030 Students 

n More than 50 Universities Represented 

partner with Lovell FHCC.” 

Rosalind Franklin 

University/The Chicago 

Medical School, which 

is located next to Lovell 

FHCC in North Chicago, 

is the major sponsor of 

students, residents and 

trainees. Other universities, 

in addition to DePaul, 

include Northwestern, 

Rush, University of Illinois 

at Chicago, Concordia, St. 

Louis University, Southern 

Illinois, Marquette 

University, College of Lake 

County and the Uniformed 

Services University of the 

Health Sciences – Recruit 

Medicine, and others. 

Differing levels of 

agreements delineate 

curriculum and training 

objectives, and processes 

for evaluation and 

feedback. 

The types of rotations 

include Nursing, 

Audiology/Speech 

Pathology, Psychiatry, 

Urology, Dermatology, 

Ophthalmology, BioMedical Engineering, 

Dental, Dietitian, Geriatrics, 

Imaging, Optometry, 

Pharmacy, Nurse 

Anesthetist, Medical 

Laboratory, Podiatry and 

Physician Assistant. 

17 

DePaul nursing student checks vital signs of patient in isolation 
anagement t MTalen

18 

LEAD class of 2015 meets with Director Dr. Stephen Holt 

SPOTLIGHT: 

Developing
 

the Leaders
 

of Tomorrow
 

L

ovell FHCC has 

nurtured future leaders 

through its Leadership, 

Effectiveness, Accountability 

and Development (LEAD) 

program for the past eight 

years. 

LEAD is the first tier of the 

VA leadership development 

program, offered to 

employees in civilian wage 

grades 5-11 (or wagegrade equivalent), and 

equivalent enlisted military 

ranks (E5 and E6). It is a 

competitive program that 

focuses on helping highperforming employees 

hone their all-employee 

competency skills such 

as communication, 

interpersonal effectiveness, 

critical thinking, 

organizational stewardship, 

Veteran and customer 

focus, personal mastery 

and technical skills. 

“It’s developing yourself 

and fitting yourself into the 

organization,” said Training 

Specialist Christine Misovie, 

LEAD facilitator. 

LEAD started at the FHCC 

(then North Chicago 

Veterans Affairs Medical 

Center) in 2008. One 

class runs per fiscal year. 

Prospective students 

must show the potential 

to advance to leadership 

positions with broader 

responsibility in the 

organization. 

In addition to monthly 

classroom sessions and 

individual mentoring 

sessions with facility 

leaders, program 

participants may attend 

facility-level clinical and 

administrative committee 

meetings. The class 

curriculum includes 

guest speakers, group 

teamwork assignments 

and face-to-face simulated 

interactions. 

Many FHCC LEAD 

graduates have gone 

on to jobs with more 

responsibility, and LEAD 

continues to improve, 

Misovie said. 

“I really like how far the 

LEAD program has come,” 

she said. “Every year, 

the program improves. 

Last year, we visited the 

Community Living Center 

to educate Veterans on 

what the LEAD program is, 

and we continue to push 

forward to educate and 

guide FHCC staff in the 

right direction.” 

LEAD graduates are 

eligible to apply for the 

Veterans Integrated 

Service Network (VISN) 12 

Leadership Development 

Program. 

Members of the LEAD class of 2015 work with FHCC staff members at the annual job fair. 

19 

By the Numbers: FHCC LEAD Program n 11 LEAD classes to date n 76 LEAD graduates to date n 2 LEAD graduates continued on to VLDP n 41 LEAD graduates have been promoted or moved on to new jobs 
112 

The GEMS Committee holds an annual electronics 

recycling event at the FHCC for the community. 

By the Numbers: FHCC Green Initiatives 

n FHCC saved more than 590,000 kWh of electricity in FY 2015 

n FHCC recycled more than 190 tons of solid waste (197.9 short tons) 

s Equivalent to 200 passenger vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions 

for one year 

s Equivalent to the carbon sequestered (removed from the 

environment) by 785 acres of U.S. forests in one year 

s Equivalent to 24,610 tree seedlings planted and grown for 10 years 

tion avnnoI

Innovation puts us on the forefront of technology, research, medical best practices and integrated health care delivery. 

SPOTLIGHT: 

Green Efforts 

Recognized 

FHCC Green Environmental Management System (GEMS) Committee 

20 

L

ovell Federal Health 

Care Center (FHCC) 

accomplished a great 

deal in 2015 regarding 

energy and environmental 

sustainability. 

Lovell FHCC and its staff 

were honored with 

several awards, such as 

Greenhealth Partner for 

Change recognition; 

Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) Federal 

Green Challenge ­

Education and Outreach 

award, and Young Energy 

Professional of the Year ­

Region III award. 

FHCC was awarded the 

2015 “Greenhealth Partner 

for Change” Award by 

Practice Greenhealth. The 

Lovell FHCC excelled in 

energy reduction efforts, 

innovative approaches to 

education and training, 

and electric vehicle 

utilization. 

The FHCC’s 

interdisciplinary 

team, called the 

Green Environmental 

Management System 

(GEMS) Committee, was 

largely credited for these 

energy and environmental 

improvements. 

The FHCC also received 

the EPA’s Federal Green 

Challenge award for 

education and outreach. 

The EPA recognized 

the FHCC’s energy 

and environmental 

sustainability 

programming and 

exceptional education and 

outreach efforts. 

GEMS Program Manager 

Joe Bozeman received the 

Young Energy Professional 

of the Year: Region III 

award from the Association 

of Energy Engineers. He 

was awarded this for 

overall sustainability 

programming and unique 

outreach efforts. 

Those outreach efforts 

stretched as far as 

Qingdao, China, where 

Bozeman spoke about 

local, regional, and global 

greenhouse gas emission 

reduction strategies at 

BIT’s 4th Low Carbon Earth 

Summit. 
FHCC staff visit TED van 

SPOTLIGHT: 

Telehealth: Bringing
 

Care Closer to Home
 

Telehealth Education Delivered (TED) van visits FHCC 

tion avnnoI

22 

Lovell FHCC patients have the 

convenience of receiving care 

closer to home at one of the 

facility’s clinics using videoteleconferencing technology 

to link them to providers and 

clinicians in North Chicago. In 

a growing number of cases,
	

patients are even treated at 

home using specially equipped 

laptop computers. 

T

here were 

approximately 5,000 

telehealth patient 

encounters in fiscal 

year 2015, ranging from 

newer services such as 

gynecology (fertility and 

prenatal counseling), 

pharmacy, oncology, 

cardiology and teleretinal 

imaging, to long-standing 

services such as consults 

for procedures, weightmanagement and nutrition 

classes, PTSD and other 

support groups, diabetes 

management, smoking 

cessation programs and 

teleaudiology. 

As technology advances 

and patient willingness 

to embrace telehealth 

options increases, the 

breadth of the FHCC’s 

services also grows. For 

example, telepharmacy 

services include patient 

education, therapeutic 

monitoring of medications, 

movement disorder 

assessment, laboratory 

monitoring of oncology 

patients, and symptom 

management for patients 

receiving chemotherapy. 

Diabetes patients can 

walk into a Lovell FHCC 

Community Based 

Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) 

and have their eyes 

examined using teleretinal 

imaging cameras that store 

and forward the images to 

the North Chicago facility. 

Telehealth success 

depends, in part, on 

getting the word out 

to patients as well as 

providers about what 

telehealth is, and what the 

possibilities are, to improve 

patient-centered care. 

For the first time, the VA’s 

Telehealth Education 

Delivered (TED) van 

visited the Lovell FHCC in 

May, 2015, to showcase 

TeleHealth technology 

and equipment for staff, 

patients, volunteers and 

stakeholders. TED is a truck 

outfitted with telehealth 

equipment to provide 

education on telehealth 

patient-care solutions. 

Bernice Arcibal, Lovell 

FHCC’s telehealth 

coordinator, said TED 

helped reach out to staff 

and patients to promote 

the telehealth capabilities 

already in use the FHCC. 

“Patient centered care is 

what we’re promoting, 

and easy access to care,” 

Arcibal said. “Rather than 

coming to a clinic here that 

probably has a long wait, 

patients are seen (in the 

CBOCs) a lot sooner.” 

Arcibal said patients who 

participate in telehealth 

services, on the whole, rate 

their overall satisfaction 

in telehealth as a five, the 

highest score. 

23 

Teleretinal imaging 

By the Numbers: Telehealth 

n 1,254 Telehealth patients 

n 4,989 Telehealth patient encounters 

n 8 New Telehealth services: 

n Infectious Disease n OIF/OEF Video-to-Home 

n Visual Impairment Service n Nephrology Discharge Plan n Genomincs 

n Pharmacy Video-to-Home n Transgender 

n Nutrition Video-to-Home 
Navy and Stroger Partner 

First-of-its-kind Pain Clinic Opens 

FHCC Marks Five Years FHCC Marks Five Years 

Green House ® Homes Open 

Caregiver Support Center Opens 

Master-at-Arms Sailors Graduate VA Police Academy 

Caregiver Support Center Opens 

On Sept. 1, 2011, Lovell FHCC was 

one of the first VA facilities to open 

a Caregiver Support Center, a 

comfortable and quiet place inside 

the main hospital where loved 

ones accompanying veteran and 

military patients go for resources, 

as well as respite from the institutional setting. Volunteers staff the 

tastefully decorated space, which 

has faux fireplace, computer, 

donated beverages and refresh-	

ments, and comfortable seating 

including a massage chair.	 

Master-at-Arms Sailors Graduate 

from VA Police Academy 

In 2012, for the first time, two 

Navy Master-at-Arms (MAs) sailors 

graduated from the VA’s Law Enforcement Training Center (LETC), 

marking one of Lovell FHCC’s first 

integration achievements. Graduation from LETC meant the MAs 

could serve in their full capacity as 

Military Police (MPs) on VA property, therefore fulfilling their mission 

to provide for the safety of military, 

as well as civilian personnel as well 

as patients, visitors and volunteers 

at Lovell FHCC. 

Green House® Homes Open 

Lovell FHCC cut the ribbon on its 

first Green House Home Oct. 1, 

2012, and was the second VA medical facility to do so. The homes 

represent a cultural transformation in long-term nursing care for 

Veteran patients. Each beautifully 

decorated home houses up to 10 

residents, who each have their 

own bedroom and bathroom. 

Common areas include a spacious 

kitchen that residents may use, 

a dining area with a table large 

enough for all residents to eat 

together, recreation room, living 

room, enclosed porch, patios and 

other outdoor spaces to include 

places for residents to garden. Residents are the center of their care 

and have the freedom to choose 	

their activities, set their schedules 	

and provide input on menus with 

the help of Shahbazim (universal 

workers) on duty all hours to cook, 

do light cleaning and help with 

resident activities. 

First-of-its-kind Pain Clinic Opens 

After a successful pilot in 2011, 

Lovell FHCC opened a Pain Clinic 

for veterans in Primary Care – a 

comprehensive and interdisciplinary pain-management program 

unique to federal health care. 

Some veteran patients can barely 

walk into the clinic the first day 

because they have so much pain. 

After the five-month program, 

however, they “graduate” into a 

brighter future where most can 

manage their pain after understanding what triggers it and 

learning self-management skills 

including relaxation techniques, 

healthier eating habits, exercise 

and pacing skills, and other coping 

mechanisms. A team of professionals, including dietitians, psychologists, physical therapists, nurses, 

doctors, neurologists work together to treat the “whole” patient, 

covering many issues in one visit. 

Navy and Stroger Partner 

Stroger Hospital and Lovell FHCC 

in 2014 began a program that 

embeds active duty FHCC Navy 

medical personnel in Stroger Hospital’s Trauma and Burn Unit. The 

program, called the Cook County 

Trauma Experience (CCTE), allows 

Navy surgeons, nurses and hospital corpsmen to work alongside 

Cook County trauma surgeons and 

nurses at Stroger. Navy medical 

personnel complete one- to twomonth rotations in the trauma 

and burn units. The training helps 

them improve and enhance their 

medical skills, thus preparing them 

for military deployments. 

October 1, 2010, 

marked the official 

dedication of the 

new Lovell Federal Health 

Care Center (FHCC) 

in North Chicago, Ill. 

Hundreds attended the 

ceremony, which was held

outside the entrance of 

the new 209,000-squarefoot ambulatory care 

center. Lovell FHCC fully 

integrates Department of 

Defense and Department 

of Veterans Affairs 

medical services in the 

North Chicago and Great 

Lakes area and combines 

manpower and resources 

of the former Naval Health

Clinic Great Lakes and 

former North Chicago VA 

Medical Center.	 

Planning began more 

than a decade before 

the integration. After 

integration, the FHCC 

continued to grow,	 

renovating and opening 

new clinics and adding 

services.	 

Facility staff members, 

volunteers, patients and 

supporters gathered	 

again October 1, 2015, 

to celebrate the FHCC’s 

five-year anniversary, 

acknowledge its 

accomplishments and toast 

to its future.	 

	 

Today, visitors entering the 

main entrance of the FHCC 

see a striking mural. The 

“Steeds of Apollo” myth 

(depicted in the mural) 

was the inspiration for the 

design of the Apollo 13 

mission flight patch. The 

description reads – “Ex 

Luna, Scientia,” or “From 

the moon, knowledge.” 

The Apollo astronauts, led 

by our namesake (Ret.) 

Navy Capt. James A. Lovell, 

embarked on a dangerous, 

unchartered expedition 

for the purpose of gaining 

better understanding of 

the unknown to benefit all 

mankind.	 

Just like the Apollo 

missions forged a new path 

for science, so too is Lovell 

FHCC. As the only FHCC, we 

are creating the play book 

for military and veteran 

health care. FHCC has 

undertaken a bold journey 

to deliver the best health 

care to warriors and heroes. 

Our patients benefit the 

most from this integration. 

Nothing brings us greater 

pride than seeing a civilian 

nurse mentoring a Navy 

hospital corpsman, or 

a corpsman caring for 

a World War II veteran. 

Walk into our Emergency 

Department, inpatient 

units, or clinics and see 

uniformed providers 

working alongside civilian 

counterparts, caring for a 

sailor’s child in one room 

and a Vietnam veteran in 

the next. 

None of these successes 

would be possible 

without amazing staff 

and dedicated volunteers. 

We have learned from all 

and turned integration 

challenges into 

opportunities, to build a 

blueprint for federal health 

care. We look forward to 

the next five years and 

beyond! 

New Kenosha CBOC Opens 25 24 
Lovell FHCC Leadership Lovell FHCC Marks Five Years 

New Spaces for CBOCs	 

In August, 2013 FHCC opened an 

expanded Kenosha Community 

Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) 

to better serve a growing patient 

population in Southeast Wisconsin. 

The approximately 8,000-squarefoot space features two sound 

booths for audiology services and 

computer rooms for expanded 

telehealth services, as well as more 

exam rooms.	 

In 2015, McHenry patients benefited from the long-awaited opening 

of a new CBOC in a 9,000-squarefoot building featuring improved 

patient flow, as well as expanded 

clinic areas for services such as 

telehealth classes and consultations, teleaudiology, teleretinal 

imaging for diabetes patients and 

telecardiology. The clinic serves 

more than 3,500 Veterans a year 

and will continue to offer primary 

care, women’s health services, 

social work and mental health 

services and phlebotomy. 

Integrated Immunization Clinic 

The sign above the door of the 

first floor clinic in the Ambulatory 

Care Center at Lovell FHCC clearly 

reads “Immunization,” but for a 

time, veterans who wanted flu and 

other shots were directed elsewhere. As of Nov., 2013, veterans 

are welcome to walk in to receive 

flu shots and most immunizations. 

This offering is part of the ongoing 

26 

integration of services at Lovell 

FHCC for active duty military, their 

dependents, as well as veterans. 

Prior to that, veterans had to make 

appointments to see their primary 

care provider for all vaccinations, 

and the clinic was available on a 

walk-in basis only to active duty 

members and their families. 

Corpsmen Integrate on Wards 

Sightings of uniformed Navy 

nursing professionals in the medical-surgical inpatient unit and elsewhere have become the “norm” at 

Lovell FHCC. Corpsmen have been 

integrated into areas previously 

staffed solely by VA civilians, with 

excellent results. Today, VA medical 

professionals and corpsmen learn 

from each other as they work sideby-side to care for FHCC patients. 

Corpsmen are enlisted medical 

specialists who serve with the 

Navy and Marine Corps in a wide 

variety of capacities and locations, 

including hospitals and clinics and 

aboard ships. Corpsmen, especially Independent Duty Corpsmen, 

may be the only clinicians treating 

sailors and Marines in combat and 

forward-deployed locations. 

FHCC Opens Walk-in Center for

Homeless Veterans 

There is no “wrong door” at Lovell 

FHCC for veterans to knock on 

when they fear they may become 

homeless, or if they already are 

homeless. In the spirit of a pledge 

from the VA to eradicate homelessness among the nation’s veterans, 

Lovell FHCC opened a new Walk-in 

Center for Homeless Veterans in 

November, 2013. 

The clinic is open daily on the main 

North Chicago campus, and is 

staffed by a social worker who sees 

veterans and answers questions, 

assists with resources and provides 

guidance about the care that is 

available to them, including emergency housing and grants. 

Military and Civilian Volunteers

Make it Happen at FHCC 

Throughout the past five years, 

military and civilian volunteers 

alike have made all things possible at FHCC, from running bingo 

and hosting parties to escorting 

patients on outings, and greeting 

and directing visitors at our front 

doors. Volunteers are the friendly 

faces caregivers see in the caregiver support center. Volunteers are 

the people who comfort veterans 

during their last days as part of the 

No Veteran Dies Alone Program. 

Close to 1,000 volunteers, counting military members and civilians, 

are active at the FHCC at any given 

time, helping the FHCC meet its sacred mission of Readying Warriors 

and Caring for Heroes. 

Stephen R. Holt, M.D. is the Director of the Captain James 

A. Lovell Federal Health Care 

Center and is responsible for 

the strategic leadership and 

operations. 

He reads an integrated VA/Department of Defense team of 

approximately 3,000 employees, 

serving veterans, active duty military and military dependents. 

Lovell FHCC is responsible for 

the medical readiness of more 

than 40,000 Navy recruits who pass through Naval Station 

Great Lakes annually. 

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Holt was the VISN 7 Chief Medical Officer, responsible for oversight of the delivery of quality 

medical care to more than 400,000 veterans at 10 hospitals 

in eight health care systems, covering the states of Alabama, 

Georgia and South Carolina. Before that, Dr. Holt served as 

the Deputy Chief of Staff at the VA North Texas Health Care 

System in Dallas, Texas, for five years. 

Dr. Holt is a veteran of the Air Force, where he spent 21 years 

as a Medical Officer (MD1) in field and central command 

locations. During his service, he also served as the 1st Air 

Force Surgeon General at Tyndall Air Force Base, and Deputy 

Director of the Modernization Directorate in the Office of 

the Air Force Surgeon General. Dr. Holt retired at the rank of 

Colonel. 

Captain Rois Comm

Deputy Direc

James A. Lov

Care Center, 

bert Buckley 

anding Officer/ 

tor of the Captain 

ell Federal Health 

supporting the 

director with leadership and 

administrative functions. 

He maintains Uniformed Code 

of Military Justice authority and 

is responsible for day-to-day 

operations at the federal health 

care center. 

Captain Buckley earned a B.S. of Arts in Chemistry, with honors, from California State University, Fullerton in 1983. He 

entered the Navy, attended Northwestern University Medical 

School in Chicago, graduating With Distinction/Alpha Omega 

Alpha in 1987. He served as Medical Department Head aboard 

the U.S.S. Cleveland and completed a residency in Emergency 

Medicine at Cook County Hospital, graduating in 1993. From 

1993-97, he served as Core Faculty Member and Research 

Director in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Naval 

Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD). He has a Master’s in Public 

Health from San Diego State University. 

Captain Buckley served as Chairman of Emergency Medicine 

at NMCSD in 2005 and Acting Director for Medical Services in 

2007. As Director for Branch Clinics at NMCSD 2008-2009, he 

was responsible for the care of 75,000 enrollees. He served as 

first Navy Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer to open 

the 120-bed Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. His last position 

was Force Surgeon for Commander of Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet Surgeon, Bahrain. 

McHenry CBOC Opens 

Walk-in Center for Homeless Veterans Opens 

Hospital Corpsmen Integrate on Wards 

27 
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Captain James A. Lovell Federal 

Health Care Center 

3001 Green Bay Road 

North Chicago, IL 60064 

847-688-1900 | 800-393-0865 

USS Osborne Dental 

Clinic 

3440 Ohio Street 

Great Lakes, IL 60088 

Phone: 847-688-2100 

USS Red Rover 

2715 Kansas St 

Great Lakes, IL 60088 

Phone: 847-688-5568 

USS Tranquillity 

3420 Illinois St. 

Great Lakes, IL 60088 

Phone: 847-688-6755 

Zachary and Elizabeth 

Fisher Medical/Dental 

Clinic 

2470 Sampson Street 

Great Lakes, IL 60088 

Phone: 847-688-2469 

Occupational Health 

Medicine Department 

2470 Sampson Street 

Great Lakes, IL 60088 

Phone: 847-688-6712 

Evanston Community Based 

Outpatient Clinic 

1942 Dempster Street 

Evanston, IL 60202 

Phone: 847-869-6315 

Kenosha Community Based 

Outpatient Clinic 

8207 22nd Avenue 

Kenosha, WI 53140 

Phone: 262-653-9286 

McHenry Community Based 

Outpatient Clinic 

3715 Municipal Drive 

McHenry, IL 60050 

Phone: 815-759-2306 

Lovell FHCC Locations