(photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marcus Suorez) Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (FMF) Luis Brown, who works in NNMC’s Emergency Management Department, teaches NNMC staff member Kafilat Odu about the Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear suit she would wear in case of an attack.

Mike Jones, event organizer and special assistant to the director for administration⁄human resources, said the event is held the first week of November every year to give staff a chance to talk to health carriers about benefits and services.

The event is also an opportunity for staff members, including active duty and enlisted, to learn about Metro checks and parking, BRAC, tuition assistance, stress management and human resources, Jones said.

Mary Valentine, who works in Navy Central HIV⁄Infection Control at NNMC, said she was interested in learning more about health benefits, not to mention picking up a few ‘‘goody” bags along the way.

‘‘It’s a good chance to see what [health carriers] have to offer,” Valentine said.

As she stopped to fill out a commuter survey, she said she appreciated the command recognizing civilians for a day.

‘‘The title, Celebrate Civilians Day, is what brought me down here.”

Not only did the event pay tribute to civilians, it was also an opportunity to do some networking and learn about job opportunities, said Dana Slash, who works in Comprehensive Dentistry at NNMC.

‘‘It’s a great way to meet new people,” Slash said, as she picked up a few brochures from a vendor.

Mark Miller, decontamination program manager for NNMC’s Office of Emergency Management, handed out information on emergency preparedness. He and his co-workers stood beside ‘‘Fred,” a dummy that displayed a Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) suit.

Miller said the suit is what emergency management responders would wear in the event of a disaster. The suit would fully protect them and prevent the spread of contamination within the hospital.

‘‘If the emergency room became contaminated, then we’d have to shut down and, therefore, wouldn’t be able to care for patients,” he said.

Miller has worked at NNMC for five years as both an active duty member and a civilian. He said the event is beneficial to all staff members because it offers information about resources at the hospital and within the community.

For example, he said, many civil service employees might not know the government pays for college courses, he said, or they don’t know where to begin looking for this sort of information.

On this particular day, staff members can stop by the vendors set up along the hallway, ask questions and pick up some information.

In addition, Celebrate Civilians Day shows the command serves more than just its health care mission, Miller said.

‘‘We’re not just patient care,” he said. ‘‘We [are here for] everyone.”