Significant social media backlash happened after the Naval Hospital Jacksonville at NAS Jax announced in a post to Facebook that emergency room hours would be cut in half -- from being open 24-7 to operating 6 a.m. through 6 p.m.

This change is set to go into effect starting March 10 and possibly through the summer.

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Despite the post quickly generating more than 1,000 comments of citizens expressing their concerns, Jacksonville City Councilman Rahman Johnson, who oversees the district NAS Jax is in, said there’s no reason for panic.

“It’s not something that’s going to be going on long term, they are working to find ways to ensure that everyone’s taken care of,” Johnson said.

Johnson said there are only about 300 families on base and they can get emergency care at nearby facilities.

“Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonville is committed to patient safety and well-being. Due to temporary staffing issues, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily change our hours of operations at our emergency room. In the event of an emergency, there are several medical facilities in the area that offer 24/7 emergency services, which we are confident will uphold the standard of care our warfighters, family members, and retirees expect and deserve. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work to resolve the staffing issue.”

Johnson also reassured the impacts should be minimal, as the peak hours of the emergency room still coincide with the hours it will remain open.

“Statistics show that their peak time of operation is at 6 a.m. and that between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. is when they have the most services,” Johnson said. “I think as the Navy begins to look more at those numbers, they’re working to make sure that everything is taken care of, and then not only are the hours right, but that people have the best health care they can get.”

Responding to one comment to the announcement about the change in hours, the Naval Hospital Jacksonville also recommended that concerned citizens should “feel free to write your senators and state representatives.”

Action News Jax reached out to U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, whose district covers the base, for a statement. We’ve yet to hear back.

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