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    3rd Medical Command Deployment Support helps underserved communities in western Maryland

    Child receives glasses at no cost during IRT exercise

    Photo By Maj. Charles An | One of the youngest patients at Appalachian Mountain IRT 2014 was 2-year-old Shekinah...... read more read more

    CUMBERLAND, MD, UNITED STATES

    08.22.2014

    Story by Maj. John Alderman 

    3d Medical Command Deployment Support

    CUMBERLAND, Md. – Soldiers of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 3rd Medical Command Deployment Support this week concluded Innovative Readiness Training exercise Appalachian Mountain 2014, here in Cumberland. Over 7,500 services were provided free of charge to approximately 1,100 area residents.

    Held Aug. 13-21 at the Allegany County Fairgrounds, the exercise brought together a number of units from a dozen states to provide medical, optical, dental, and veterinarian care to local residents. It follows similar missions by 3rd Medical Command this year in Hawaii, Louisiana, and Illinois.

    “This is the perfect way for us to practice our wartime skills and in the process to provide health services to underserved communities,” said Army Col. Gregory Kolb, Commander of the 48th Combat Support Hospital based out of Fort Meade, Maryland. “And our Soldiers absolutely love this chance to help people right here at home.”

    A total of 93 service members from about a dozen states partnered with the Allegany County Human Resources Development Commission, the Allegany County Health Department, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Western Maryland Health System to make the event happen. The team served 1,102 medical patients, 517 dental services and hygiene, 780 optical patients, and 1,647 veterinary patients. In total, the 3rd Medical Command provided 593 pairs of new glasses and 7,641 services. That includes 1,203 dogs and cats.

    Randal Crites traveled from West Virginia to attend the clinic. “We were just thrilled to be here and glad to see that the military is stepping forward to help us in time of need,” Crites said.

    The daily clinics were announced on local media and through local volunteer and community organizations. Volunteers arranged for appointments and walk-in patients, registering them and their needs and connecting them with 3rd Medical Command’s personnel.

    Patients were first screened to identify any overriding health concerns and ensure a holistic approach to treatment. Next came any dental, optical, or veterinarian stations they needed. Dental stations provided basic services such as cleaning and extraction; opticians checked the health of their eyes and if necessary made measurements for prescriptions. An on-site team, augmented by U.S. Navy optometrists, ground the lenses and provided a 24-hour turnaround time for a new set of glasses.

    The eyeglasses were particularly welcome by many of the patients. Local resident Shekinah Watkins recently had a new prescription issued to her after she had already received her annual pair of eyeglasses. Shekinah’s mother, Shannon Watkins, was thrilled to find out that she could bring the new prescription to the event and have a pair of eyeglasses made.

    “We had a perfect experience. Everyone was loving, inviting, and glad to help,” said Watkins. “I can’t even tell you what kind of a gift that was for me.”

    This was especially gratifying for U.S. Navy Hospitalman Samuel Addo-Donkoh, part of the Naval Ophthalmic Support and Training Activity (NOSTRA), assigned to support this event. When Addo-Donkoh was growing up, the hospital ship USNS Mercy pulled into port and provided healthcare service to locals. One was a friend who recovered from his eye problems and inspired Addo-Donkoh to come to the United States and join the Navy.

    “It’s awesome to be able to do this mission, in this community just like what we saw in Ghana,” said Addo-Donkoh . “It’s like a dream come true.”

    As a final step in the process, patients were given referrals to local providers for follow-on services or treatment. The total of 767 referrals included medical appointments, Veterans Affairs services, Medicaid enrollment, and to Affordable Health Care Act Navigators.

    Responsible for Army Reserve medical units based in the Eastern United States, the 3rd Medical Support Command has provided medical support to troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Africa in steady overseas rotations for the last decade. The 3rd MEDCOM also supports three to four IRT missions per year.

    Communities interested in hosting an IRT mission can contact one of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense by going to https://irt.defense.gov

    For more information on Appalachian Mountain IRT 2014, visit https://www.facebook.com/AppalachianMountainIRT2014.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.22.2014
    Date Posted: 08.28.2014 10:39
    Story ID: 140658
    Location: CUMBERLAND, MD, US
    Hometown: CUMBERLAND, MD, US
    Hometown: FORT BLISS, TX, US
    Hometown: FORT CAMPBELL, KY, US
    Hometown: FORT CAMPBELL, TN, US
    Hometown: FORT MEADE, MD, US
    Hometown: YORKTOWN, VA, US

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