U.S. Navy two-star Rear Adm. Christina Alvarado visited Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt recently to interact with patients and teach them about the duties of the Navy as well as tour Children’s Hospital with leadership and staff. Alvarado is deputy chief of the Bureau of Medicine & Surgery, Reserve Policy and Integration. She is also a registered nurse.
Alvarado’s visit was part of the Navy’s Outreach program, which is designed to connect Americans with the Navy. Alvarado met with a cross-section of Nashville’s leaders in business, government and education during her two-day outreach trip.
“I was impressed by the important role that Children’s Hospital plays in designing innovative programs to improve the health of the children they serve,” Alvarado said. “When you stop to think about it, the hospital is an important indirect link in providing America with a strong national defense. Improving the health of America’s children is imperative as the nation relies on a healthy population to wear the uniform and defend it. I was happy to be able to thank the people here for their contributions to their community. Who knows, perhaps one of the kids I met is a future sailor.”
During her stop at Children’s Hospital, Alvarado presented honorary sailor certificates to patients, took photos with patients at the STRIVE summer volunteers program’s annual carnival party and met with various employees at Children’s Hospital, many of whom are veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
“Many of us never get to personally meet the leaders of our Armed Forces and learn about the role they play in serving our country. Rear Admiral Alvarado’s visit to Children’s Hospital was such a unique opportunity for us to learn from each other,” said Kathie Krause, Chief Nursing Officer for Children’s Hospital. “From making some of our patients “honorary sailors” to the dialogue with faculty and staff around working together to provide better health care for communities, it reminds us that service is vitally important for all of us.”
The Navy schedules 25 outreach engagements a year, targeting communities with little or no Navy presence. The visits are comprised of engagements with corporate executives, government officials, education leaders, local media, veterans’ organizations and civic groups. The Navy also holds 15 larger outreach efforts called Navy Weeks in cities throughout the country.
