Ralph Nix, Jr. Medical/Dental Clinic
Description of Services
To Our Patients
Welcome to the Ralph R. Nix Jr. Medical / Dental Clinic. We offer health care to eligible active duty beneficiaries of all branches of service.
Your Healthcare Team
Your medical team consists of one Physician, a Physician Assistant, Pharmacist, two Dental Officers, Dental Hygienist services daily and Health Service Technicians. Also contract services such as Physical Therapy and Psychology are provided on a referral basis.
Contacting your Healthcare Team
Your concerns and questions are important to us. Members enrolled to our facility that have questions regarding their treatment plan, medications or duty status that do not require a face to face visit with your provider; contact the front desk to reach a member of your health care team or by e-mail at MedTeam.Petaluma@uscg.mil. Please allow up to 24 hrs. for a response.
** We cannot schedule appointments or assist with TRICARE related issues via this
e-mail address. See appointment scheduling and TRICARE benefits for more info.
Scheduling Appointments
You can schedule an appointment by calling (707) 765-7200 during normal business hours and pressing option 1 for medical and option 2 for dental. You can also schedule by visiting our medical or dental front desk. At times our phone lines may be busy, please leave a message with your contact info and someone will return your call.
Medical Services
We provide a broad range of services, including:
- Primary Care Medicine
- Well woman exams
- Birth control
- Immunizations
- Laboratory work
- Physical exams
- Referral services
If we are unable to treat you, we will refer you to an appropriate medical facility. Routine care for other beneficiaries is not available due to operational commitments and the large rotating student population.
Dental Services
Our Dental staff offers a wide range of service to active duty members, including:
- Dental examinations
- X-rays
- Cleanings
- Simple extractions
- Fillings
- Endodontic treatment
Routine care for other beneficiaries is not available.
Pharmacy
The pharmacy is available to fill prescriptions for all active duty patients and eligible beneficiaries. The medications the pharmacy carries are primarily the DoD Basic Core Formulary (BCF) medications. The BCF list can be found at http://pec.ha.osd.mil/bcf.php?submenuheader=1. The pharmacy will be not be able to fill prescriptions from off base providers if the medication is not in stock or if the pharmacist is not available. Please contact the pharmacy at 707-765-7887 to check availability prior to coming to the clinic.
The pharmacy also provides a limited over-the-counter program in accordance with Coast Guard policy. The program is limited to two items per family per week. It includes over-the-counter products to treat acute/minor illness such as:
- Allergies and Congestion
- Cough and Sore Throat
- Athlete’s Foot
- Upset Stomach
TMOP (TRICARE Mail Order Program)
The TMOP sends prescriptions right to your door at no cost for active duty personnel. For eligible beneficiaries generic medications are free and there is a minimal cost for most brand name medications. There are no shipping or handling fees with the TMOP. The TMOP carries most brand name and generic medications including refrigerated and controlled items. If you would like more information or to have the pharmacy staff help you get set up with TMOP please stop in or call 707-765-7887.
Physical Therapy Services
Our facility is staffed with a part time licensed Physical Therapist. Services are available 3 days a week and can be facilitated by your PCM through a referral. We perform general muscular-skeletal evaluations and therapy, sports recommendations, exercise counseling, advice on reducing injuries and coordinating home therapy.
Diagnostic Testing
We can perform a wide variety of testing for active duty members to include routine laboratory tests, electrocardiograms and limited diagnostic x-rays.
Tricare Health Benefits
The Tricare Service Center (TSC) is located in the Ralph Nix Medical / Dental clinic and is available by walk-in service (no appointments are necessary). Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday; 0700-1100 & 1200 to 1500.
After reporting to TRACEN, you should stop by the TSC to enroll and/or change your PCM to this location. The TSC can also give you information regarding the active duty family dental program or the retiree dental program.
For further information or questions, please call (888) TriWest or go to www.triwest.com.
Evenings, Weekends and Emergencies
Active Duty: The clinic maintains on-call services 24 hours a day to address urgent care needs. Personnel are responsible for contacting the duty HS prior to seeking urgent/non-life threatening care. If an emergency exists, then dial 911. An emergency is defined as any condition, which if left untreated, will pose a serious threat to life, limb or eyesight or will cause undue suffering. As soon as practical, Active Duty members must notify the duty HS and Command of the emergency room care and/or admittance to the hospital. A follow-up appointment must be scheduled with your PCM after discharge for duty status determination.
Non-Active Duty Beneficiaries: Non-active duty beneficiaries must use their Tricare benefits for after hours or emergency services.
Quality Assurance
Patient satisfaction is very important to us. We have implemented Patient Advisory and Quality Assurance committees to ensure we achieve these goals. We welcome your constructive suggestions. Please feel free to use the suggestion box located just inside the main clinic entrance or complete a survey online at: https://surveys.uscg.mil/Community/se.ashx?s=6F20F77448DC8E36
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