HONOLULU — The Defense Health Agency Region Indo-Pacific announced Monday that it will provide medical assessments and care to civilians who were affected by the Red Hill fuel leak, according to a release.

What You Need To Know

  • Civilians who lived or worked in buildings served by the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system between Nov. 20, 2021, and March 18, 2022, and are experiencing persistent health problems related to the Red Hill fuel leak may schedule a medical assessment

  • If an assessment finds there is a need for medical care, civilians may go to the Red Hill Clinic at Branch Health Clinic Makalapa or Tripler Army Medical Center

  • Patients will not be charged for medical care

  • Civilians seeking a medical assessment and care may contact the TRICARE Nurse Advice Line at 1-800-874-2273, select option 1, and request an appointment at the Red Hill Clinic

The Secretarial Designee Program allows people to be eligible for health care in military medical facilities. Gilbert Cisneros, Jr., Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, granted Secretarial Designee status to civilians potentially exposed to water contaminated by jet fuel. Under the Secretarial Designee Program, patients will not be charged for medical care.

Civilians who lived or worked in buildings served by the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system between Nov. 20, 2021, and March 18, 2022, and are experiencing persistent health problems related to the Red Hill fuel leak may schedule a medical assessment.

If an assessment finds there is a need for medical care, civilians may go to the Red Hill Clinic at Branch Health Clinic Makalapa or Tripler Army Medical Center.

The Red Hill Clinic began accepting patients, who were enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, on Jan. 3. 

The military announced it would open the Red Hill Clinic at a news conference on Nov. 22, shortly after the one-year anniversary of the fuel spill at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. On Nov. 20, 2021, fuel entered Oahu’s groundwater and affected 93,000 people that use the Navy’s water system.

During the news conference in November, Dr. Jennifer Espiritu, a trained medical epidemiologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was working for the Defense Health Agency Region Indo-Pacific acknowledged that there is a lack of medical literature regarding the long-term effects of exposure to fuel-tainted water.

“There are very few limited studies on the long-term effects of JP-5 (jet-propellant-5) fuel exposure. So that’s why the Red Hill Clinic … will be working with experts at the Department of Health, the CDC, the rest of DoD … to monitor these symptoms, so we can create a more robust body of knowledge,” said Espiritu.

Some conditions people have reported include skin problems, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory and neurological conditions.

Civilians seeking care may contact the TRICARE Nurse Advice Line at 1-800-874-2273, select option 1, and request an appointment at the Red Hill Clinic. People without base access will be given information about how to access the Red Hill Clinic for their appointment. For more information, visit the Red Hill Clinic’s website.

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.