PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Behind the secure gates of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP), doctors and surgeons provide lifesaving trauma care not only to service members but also to residents of Portsmouth and the surrounding communities.
The military hospital’s Level II trauma center began operating in August 2023. In 2024, the state officially approved the treatment of civilian patients.
A move, Trauma Medical Director Dr. Matthew Vasquez said, is already making a difference.
“The goal is all the same to just provide the best trauma care we can to our community members. And it's only through our strong partnerships with our community hospitals that we're able to do that,” Vasquez said.
Vasquez said any trauma patient in the area can be taken to the Naval Hospital if it is the closest facility.
“Any patient who gets injured in this area, or in the Portsmouth area, or if EMS needs the closest hospital for someone who’s injured, they can come through our gate, and we can take care of them,” he said.
The decision to open the trauma center to civilians followed a 2019 analysis by a Johns Hopkins University team that found a critical need for additional trauma care in Portsmouth.
Vasquez said the study showed Portsmouth residents were five times more likely to be victims of violent crime.
That reality is now reflected in cases treated at the hospital. Since opening, the trauma center has treated more than 1,300 patients, more than half of them civilians.
Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover highlighted the partnership during his State of the City address in May 2025, calling it a lifeline for residents.
“Because the Navy stepped up, they’ve allowed us to take some of those trauma accident victims directly to the naval hospital to receive, many times, lifesaving treatment,” Glover said.
The urgency of the work was evident during an interview with Vasquez, when he was called away to assist a man struck while riding a bicycle.
“The on-call team that happened to be operating right then, I stepped in to assist,” Vasquez said. “More of my team came down to work together to take care of the patient.”
Vasquez said the mission goes beyond training military medical teams and focuses on serving the surrounding community.
“As a medical professional and provider, it’s a privilege to take care of anyone who’s injured,” he said. “Now that we’re able to do that and give back to our community, it makes us feel wonderful and prepares us for whatever comes next.”
NMCP also has a partnership with Manor High School in Portsmouth to offer mentorship opportunities to students interested in the medical field.
Medical staff at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth say treating trauma and strengthening the community now go hand in hand.
