The Navy's surgeon general visited Naval Station Rota to meet with Sailors and tour commands, April 18-19.

His first visit to Rota, Vice Adm. Forrest Faison, surgeon general of the Navy and chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, toured U.S. Naval Hospital Rota, USS Ross (DDG 71), Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit 7 and met with base and tenant command leadership.

"Rota's strategic location is important to our naval operations," said Faison. "As the Navy's surgeon general, I wanted to visit the hospital, the fleet and meet with base leadership to make sure Navy Medicine is providing what they need medically to be able to do their jobs and take care of themselves and their families."

Faison also held all-hands calls with USNH Rota officer, enlisted, government service, and local national employees where he expressed his appreciation to the people involved in Navy Medicine's ongoing mission.

"If you don't remember any other words I say, remember that I say, 'thank you,'" said Faison. "I am very, very proud of the team here at Rota. You're making a difference in ensuring our forward-deployed naval forces are healthy and able to conduct their missions."

Faison spent a great deal of time speaking with the staff members throughout each of the commands. He took the time to shake the hands of the most junior enlisted, and the most seasoned officers. He met with patients and inquired about their care.

The staff appreciated his visit and the time he took to speak with as many Sailors as possible.

"He was personable and genuinely cared. It would have been easy to simply walk past us, but instead he stopped to talk and asked questions to get to know us," said Hospitalman Micah Hopkins, a staff member at USNH Rota, whose hometown is Bainbridge, New York.

Faison said he was thoroughly impressed with all of the work that is being done throughout Naval Station Rota and the impact Navy Medicine has within the region.

"I'm extremely proud of the Navy Medicine team," said Faison. "The fact that you are overseas means that you are important, you are on the point of the spear and you are directly impacting the operational readiness of the Navy and Marine Corps."

U.S. Naval Hospital Rota provides patient and family centered care to Naval Station Rota beneficiaries, U.S. 6th Fleet and other Department of Defense and Department of the State beneficiaries.

Navy Medicine is a global health care network of 63,000 personnel who provide health care support to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, their families and veterans in high operational tempo environments, at expeditionary medical facilities, medical treatment facilities, hospitals, clinics, hospital ships and research units around the world.

For more news from Navy Medicine East visit http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nme/.

For more news from Navy Medicine, visit www.navy.mil/.