Public health LPO shines as team player at NHC Lemoore

Story by Elaine Heirigs

Naval Health Clinic Lemoore

LEMOORE, Calif. (Feb. 15, 2024) Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class ReiCharles Quioco from Cavite, Philippines provides care in the public health directorate at Naval Health Clinic Lemoore. He graduated high school in 2009 and joined the Navy in 2013.

Quioco is the leading petty officer and takes care of all administrative requirements for immunizations, occupational health, preventive medicine, as well as health and wellness.

“I enjoy leading and training a diverse of group of Sailors,” said Quioco. “I assist in daily operations such as administering immunizations or completing food and health sanitation inspections.”

Quioco’s job includes helping with occupational health pre-employment physicals and health hazard physicals. He also lends a hand with the tobacco cessation program and nutrition counseling.

In the future, Quioco would like to go to a specialty school in San Antonio to be a preventive medicine technician. He looks forward to continuing his learning and helping to provide healthcare on U.S. Navy vessels.

Quioco’s proudest Navy accomplishment was when he was aboard the USS Nitze (DDG 94) and the crew conducted a medical rescue in accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974. The International Maritime Organization website states a shipmaster’s obligation is to render assistance at sea. This includes providing medical help when called upon.

“The ship received a distress call from a foreign national mariner that did not have medical capability on their ship,” recalled Quioco. “We quickly deployed our helicopter with one of the three corpsmen aboard. She did an assessment and performed medical care for the patient while aboard the helicopter.”

Meanwhile aboard the Nitze, Quioco prepared the flight deck team, stretcher bearers and a medical treatment room to receive the patient.

“Upon arrival, we quickly performed a head-to-toe assessment and gathered blood samples for a better diagnosis,” said Quioco. “Once complete, the senior medical department representative aboard deemed that the patient was safe to travel and ready to transfer to a higher level of care facility.”

A couple days later, the team received news from the patient’s home country that he arrived safely.

Quioco takes prides in being optimistic and resilient, traits he learned while growing up in the Philippines.

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.