The VNH is a digital healthsciences library designed to provide medical information to help providers take better care of the patients and help Sailors and Marines and their families live healthier lives. "This is unlike any other telelibrary initiative in DoD," says Capt. Richard S. Bakalar, MC, medical sponsor for the VNH. "This web site targets primary care providers suh as general medical officers (GMOs) and independent duty corpsmen (IDCs) at the deckplates. Sailors and Marines at sea or on shore now have direct access to easy-to-understand medical information."

Patients can access information on first aid, consumer health textbooks and organizations, twenty-five health topics on preventive medicine, and Internet search tools.

Providers can access links to disease information to the eighty most common medical problems seen at sea, common medical procedure descriptions, occupational and environmental health issues, medical textbooks, professional health organizations, GMO manual and Navy and DoD Internet resources.

The information provided by the Virtual Naval Hospital will also improve the patient and health care provider partnership. As patients are more informed, they are able to discuss their condition or situation with a provider to receive better service.

"This is about continuing medical education to the deckplates anywhere there is Internet connectivity. And for those who do not have a connection to the Internet, a CD-ROM will be available," said Dr. Michael P. D'Alessandro, M.D., the VNH's architect."

Plans for the hospital include an addition to include a dental resource center.

The Virtual Naval Hospital's Homepage is Virtual Naval Hospital