Pensacola Joint Ambulatory Care Center
The Joint Ambulatory Care Center (JACC) at Pensacola, Florida is a new medical center that was opened in September 2008. This up-to-date facility is a combined effort of the US Navy and the Veteran’s Administration. The JACC moved three Naval and four VA locations to one new area. Both agencies achieved upgraded facilities at half the cost and the JACC serves both Veterans and active duty Navy.
Built on the Pensacola Naval Air Station near the Pensacola Naval Hospital, this medical facility covers 250,000 square feet. The building has three stories, the top two which are reserved for patient treatment. The VA and the Navy share primary care and dental exam rooms for basic care services. This part of the facility provides care for chronic conditions, dental exams and care, treatment for emergent injures and infections and general physicals. To help with determining a diagnosis for new conditions, the JACC has a new state of the art MRI and CAT scan machines and is able to perform digital x-rays in addition to the standard x-ray. Laboratory facilities are available and the center includes modern phlebotomy chairs for all lab work. A full service pharmacy is also on site.
Exercise and rehabilitation services are available at the JACC for out-patient needs. Audiology, optometry and eye services, and specialty clinics are also available at the JACC. The specialty clinics include surgery, women’s health, gastroenterology, oncology, urology, nuclear medicine, ENT and cardiac services. The JACC expects to add out-patient chemo and radiology treatment and some types of out-patient surgery in the future. Another function that the JACC serves is functioning as a teaching facility for the US Navy and the Florida State University system. A number of junior colleges also conduct training at the JACC for therapy, technicians and nurses.
The JACC has parking near the building and ample handicapped accesses to the building as well as areas inside that are easy for those with limited walking abilities to access. Difficult cases are referred to the VA Medical Center at Biloxi, who oversees the VA part of the JACC. The JACC is a success story of two government agencies operating together to provide better and more efficient services for all.
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