U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine visited Naval Medical Center Portsmouth May 27 to see firsthand the work of staff as they provide health care to service members, veterans and their families in Hampton Roads. Kaine's visit was part of a four-day whirlwind tour of the state and his first at the medical center since he became an elected official.

The visit began with an extensive conversation with Capt. Darin Via, commanding officer, about numerous aspects of providing care at a tertiary medical center, from graduate medical education and research programs to the number of staff and span of branch health clinics throughout the region.

"More than anything, we wanted to showcase the capabilities and capacity of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth," Via said. "Being one of the largest tertiary care medical centers in Navy Medicine, many times, while people recognize there is a Navy hospital here, but I don't think they quite understand the scope, size and complexity of the organization. I think the areas we took him through really highlighted that."

"It's very important for me, being on the Armed Services Committee, that every time I travel around there is something in Virginia that I haven't seen yet, that I need to see," Kaine said. "While I have spent a good amount of time at VA (hospitals), I have not been to this hospital. I wanted to get a sense of patient care and the incredible work done by over 7,000 people who work here. The technology, the atmosphere - I had a good tour."

The first stop on the tour included a brief about new technology and capabilities in the Women's Imaging Center and general operations in the Radiology Department. Next was the operating room, where Kaine was shown the DaVinci robotic surgical suite. He sat at the console of the DaVinci trainer, learning how a surgeon is able to see the field of surgery through cameras and can maneuver surgical instruments through robotic controls.

In the Warrior Recovery Services Clinic, Kaine heard about the latest treatments offered to patients in need of specialized mental health care.

"Most interesting was hearing about mental health issues and different ways they're trying to approach mental health treatment; that's something we spend a lot of time talking about on the Armed Services Committee." Kaine said. "Are we doing things the right way or not? So hearing some of the strategies on how to do that, that was important."

The last stop was the Healthcare Simulation Center, where the staff had on display dozens of pieces of equipment that health care professionals - doctors, nurses and corpsmen - use to increase their proficiency in providing patient care.

"The ability of the technical field to use simulation before you do a first procedure means that you're more likely to do it right the first time," Kaine said. "Clearly in this hospital, the training performed by the medical professionals is cutting edge, as they would have at any hospital, but here they have a specific focus on things that are really unique to the military population."

Ultimately, Kaine said his visit will help him better advocate for the medical center as a member of the Senate's Armed Services and Budget committees.

"Spending more time trying to understand the VA system and the military medical system helps me on my Armed Services committee responsibilities to be a better advocate for the needs of medical care within the military," Kaine said. "On the Budget Committee, all these sequester and other budgetary issues pose a challenge within the DOD, especially DOD assignments and installations with a high number of civilians. Again, if I am trying to make my argument to my colleagues about (the budget), it's better to tell them what I've seen and the work that's being done."

For more news from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, visit www.navy.mil/local/NMCP/.