Navy Environmental Health Center (NEHC)

Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC)

Command History (Partial)

In 1964, the idea for a comprehensive Navy occupational health program originated at what was then the Navy's Bureau of Weapons. The Bureau recognized the need for an occupational health program, which would encompass all Fleet Readiness and Training Ordnance field activities. It directed the Commanding Officer, Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD), Crane, IN, to address this need by broadening that command's occupational health function. The expanded mission, which came under the supervision of the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) at NAD Crane, included assistance to all naval ammunition depots and naval stations in coordinating occupational health programs. Under the SMO's supervision, the program's first industrial hygiene survey was done.

In May 1967, the Bureau of Weapons formalized the program function it had assigned to NAD Crane with the establishment of the Naval Ordnance Systems Command Environmental Health Center, a division of NAD Crane Medical Department. In June 1970, the Center was disestablished as an NAD Crane program. And on July 1, it became a Headquarters Detachment (HQ DET) of the Naval Ordnance Systems Command (NAVORD), Cincinnati, OH. In October of that year, The HQ DET became known as the Naval Ordnance Environmental Health Center (NOECH), NAVORD.

A year later, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), the Naval Material Command (NAVMAT), and NAVORD signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) which brought NOEHC under the aegis of BUMED, renamed the Navy Industrial Environmental Health Center (NIEHC). They continued to provide industrial environmental health services primarily to BUMED and NAVORD. And in July 1974, the Center became the "Navy Environmental Health Center" (NEHC), an Echelon 3 shore activity under the command and support of BUMED.

In November 2007, NEHC was re-named the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) in keeping with its ever-changing and growing mission to provide leadership and expertise to ensure mission readiness through disease prevention and health promotion in support of the National Military Strategy.