WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) led members of the New Hampshire and Maine congressional delegations in requesting a briefing from the Department of Defense regarding its restructuring plans for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s Naval Branch Health Clinic. Joining Representative Pappas are U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Maggie Hassan (NH), Angus King (ME), Susan Collins (ME), as well as Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), and Jared Golden (ME-02).

The proposed plan may force more than half of the clinic’s patients to seek care elsewhere, but according to DoD’s assessment of health care accessibility only half of TRICARE network providers within 30 miles of the PNSY clinic would be able to accept new patients, and only 1% of those providers have appointments available for new patients within 1 week as well as 1 month.

“The PNSY outpatient clinic is the foundation for convenient, quality health care for thousands of active-duty servicemembers’ families, military retirees, and military retiree families,” wrote the lawmakers. “Therefore, we urgently request a briefing from the Department within the next 30 days to discuss its implementation plans for the PNSY outpatient clinic, the methodology and findings of its network assessment, its strategy to communicate to stakeholders and impacted patients in our communities, impact to the TRICARE network in the New England region, how this plan will impact the readiness of military forces, and the impact on the readiness of military medical providers at PNSY.”

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Dear Secretary Hicks,

We write to express our concerns to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) restructuring plans for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s (PNSY) Naval Branch Health Clinic, which provides health services to more than 2,000 active-duty service members, military retirees, and their families.

In a July 2022 report submitted to Congress, PNSY’s outpatient clinic is included in a list of military medical treatment facilities being identified by DoD as part of a military health care restructuring effort that may impact 155,000 patients nationwide. According to the report, the Department plans to limit access to the PNSY facility to only active-duty service members, as part of a larger Department-wide effort to realign services at military treatment facilities to focus on combat casualty care. This plan may force as many as 1,715 individuals – more than half of the clinic’s patients – who rely on its services to seek health care elsewhere.

DoD states it will implement its strategy while not “diminishing quality and access” to health care for those impacted by the restructuring; however, DoD’s own assessment of health care accessibility for PNSY patients raises serious doubts about the veracity of this claim. Based on the data provided by the Department, 49% of primary care providers in the TRICARE network within 30 miles of the PNSY clinic would not be able to absorb new patients. For the limited number of providers that can provide care, DoD estimates they will expect an average of 132 new patients per provider. Of those providers, only 1% have stated they have appointment availability for new patients within 1 week as well as 1 month. Furthermore, the Department assessed a “High” risk score for the TRICARE network surrounding PNSY, indicating that the network cannot afford losing any providers given these data points.

The assessment makes clear that the plan for the PNSY clinic – a $30 million facility completed just last year – could undermine health care accessibility. Many of our constituents live in rural communities and experience difficulties accessing public transportation. New providers will be overwhelmed with new patients and the lack of appointment availability will only further delay health care for those who have already been told to seek care elsewhere. The health care infrastructure simply isn’t in place to support this decision.

The PNSY outpatient clinic is the foundation for convenient, quality health care for thousands of active-duty servicemembers’ families, military retirees, and military retiree families. Therefore, we urgently request a briefing from the Department within the next 30 days to discuss its implementation plans for the PNSY outpatient clinic, the methodology and findings of its network assessment, its strategy to communicate to stakeholders and impacted patients in our communities, impact to the TRICARE network in the New England region, how this plan will impact the readiness of military forces, and the impact on the readiness of military medical providers at PNSY. Thank you for your attention to this important matter and we look forward to your response.

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