Commander, Navy Medicine East (NME), Rear Adm. Kenneth Iverson, a native of Texas, showcased America's Navy and its global health care network to the local community during Houston Navy Week Oct. 20-21.

"It's an honor to participate in the Navy outreach efforts and educate the public on the capabilities America's Navy has on national security, and the role Navy Medicine plays in keeping our service members and family safe, healthy, and on the job," said Iverson.

To kick off his two-day visit, Iverson will meet with several organizations, from Harris Health Systems -- one of the biggest organizations in the country to be designated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a Patient-Centered Medical Home -- to delivering a keynote during a Kiwanis Club of Houston luncheon.

With more than 300,000 military veterans in the greater Houston area, Iverson will also meet with Combined Arms, an organization focused on collaboration among military service organizations in the Houston area to support Houston veterans, as well as with leadership from Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center -- a primary health care provider for almost 130,000 veterans in southeast Texas.

On Friday, Iverson, a diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, will round out his Navy Week Houston activities with a tour of Texas Medical Center -- the largest medical complex in the world.

Among the affiliated medical schools are the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Texas A&M College of Medicine. He will also meet with the dean of McGovern Medical School, as well as 150 students and leadership from Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions. Located in Texas Medical Center, DeBakey High School is the first school of its kind in the nation, designed to increase opportunities for all students to access careers in medicine, science, and the health professions.

Navy Weeks allows Sailors to educate their communities about the capability, importance, and value of today's Navy. With over 70 percent of the earth covered in water and 90 percent of global commerce conducted by sea, it's vital for America's Navy protect and defend the world's oceans.

NME is one of two regional commands that manage Navy Medicine's global health care network. It oversees the effectiveness and efficiency of the delivery of medical, dental and other health care services to approximately 1 million patients across almost 100 facilities -- including the Tidewater Enhanced Multi-Service Market which brings together U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley and McDonald Army Hospital; Lovell Federal Health Care Center, the Department of Defense's only integrated Navy/Veterans Affairs facility; a joint initiative between NMCP and the 633rd Medical Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis; and a Navy, Army, and Defense Health Agency collaboration of staff assigned to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. Its public health also extends globally.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Navy Medicine East, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nme/ or http://www.twitter.com/NavMedEast/.