NHC Lemoore doctor brings rural care specialty to military clinic

Story by Elaine Heirigs

Naval Health Clinic Lemoore

LEMOORE, Calif. (Feb. 2, 2023) Dr. Dustin Schleif is a physician in the Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) at Naval Health Clinic (NHC) Lemoore since the department reopened in the fall of 2017. He came to the Central Valley while completing the rural track for Loma Linda University’s Family Medicine residency program.

Schleif provides patient care and helps guide corpsman-led care of patients at the military treatment facility. He takes pride in being a part of a healthcare team that genuinely cares for patients and their wellbeing.

“I have previously been a primary care provider, hospitalist, and a medical director of civilian rural health clinics,” said Schleif. “Working in the UCC has been my most enjoyable and satisfying job.”

Schleif hopes to continue his contract at NHC Lemoore for many more years.

“I am honored to work with medical assistants, nurses, and corpsman who go above and beyond their UCC responsibilities to help people in need, including jump starting a car or two in the parking lot.”

He is also the designated mac-and-cheese provider for potlucks, his coworkers joke.

“When possible, I like to bring fun and humor into the workplace,” said Schleif. “I believe people work better together when work is something to look forward to. I also believe every person in a team is equally important, we just have different roles to fill.”

The best part of his job is working with the Navy’s hospital corpsmen.

“I enjoy showing them a lighter, more fun side of healthcare, and hopefully life in general,” said Schleif.

Naval Health Clinic Lemoore, co-located with Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Lemoore, ensures the readiness of its active-duty service members and improves the lives of military families through the delivery of high-quality healthcare to over 18,000 eligible beneficiaries at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California and NAS Fallon, Nevada.

The command also provides dental care and medical administrative support to Navy, Marine Corps, and international students at the Naval Postgraduate School, Defense Language Institute and the Center for Information Dominance in Monterey, California.

The command’s mission is to advance the readiness and health of our warfighters and beneficiaries and to invest in our people and partnerships.