Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Neil W. McCabe | First Lt. Holly E. Rodriguez, with the 3274th U.S. Army Hospital, checks the blood...... read more read more
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FORREST CITY, Ark. - Soldiers of the Army Reserve Medical Command’s 3274th U.S. Army Hospital, Southeast Medical Area Readiness Support Group, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, manned five free and open to the public East Arkansas clinics July 25 to Aug. 2, part of the command’s support of “Arkansas Care.”
The 3274th USAH Soldiers partnered with the Delta Regional Authority through the Pentagon’s Innovative Readiness Training program that pairs Army Reserve medical, engineering and other units with disadvantaged communities, said Col. Andrew T. Bryan, the 3274th USAH commander.
The Arkansas Care IRT provides medical, dental, and optometry mission essential training for the 3274th USAH as well as augmenting personnel from other U.S. Army Reserve commands in addition to Air Force Reserve personnel, Marine Corps Reserve personnel, and a Naval Ophthalmic Support and Training Activity (NOSTRA) while providing medical care to underserved residents throughout six communities in Arkansas.
Bryan said of the six sites in Forrest City, McCrory, Brinkley, Wynne, Newport and Earle, his Soldiers totaled more than 5,000 individual patient interactions, including subtotals in excess of 1,500 medical screenings, 250 small group nutrition classes, 2,000 dental exams and procedures, and 2,800 eye exams to include new pairs of glasses.
John E. Brown, a retired factory worker, said he drove 17 miles from his Marianna, Arkansas, home to visit the Forrest City clinic. “I am a deacon at my church and, Sunday, my wife’s sister told me about it.”
Brown came for an eye exam and a new pair of glasses, said the father of 10. “My eyes been getting down on me.”
Bryan said the IRT mission was a success and that observers from First Army-West visited some of the clinics and will recommend that their command use the IRT program as part of First Army’s mission to prepare Soldiers for deployment.
“The months of planning and training really paid off,” he said.
“It has paid off for our citizen-Soldiers by providing them with real-world, real-time experience in their military specialties,” he said.
“It has paid off for the Delta Regional Authority, whose mission is to improve the lives of the residents of the Mississippi River Delta, and who has become a great partner with the Army Reserve Medical Command and the Army Reserve,” the colonel said.
“Most importantly, the 3274th’s support of Arkansas Care has paid off for the people living here, some of whom were unaware of serious medical issues,” said Bryan. “We were not able to address [the medical issues] given the nature of this mission, but certainly because of our screenings, they now know what they have to follow-up on with local providers.”
Soldiers of SEMARSG, spearheaded this Arkansas Care IRT, augmented by the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion from North Little Rock, Arkansas, whose CA teams conducted key leader engagements, and provided statics for the daily economic impact for each site. The Delta Regional Authority hosts six sites in the communities of East Arkansas.
Christopher A. Masingill, the federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, toured some of the sites with Bryan and said he was very happy with the teamwork between the authority and ARMEDCOM.
“It is a great partnership,” he said. “Having the Army Reserve Medical Command come down here is a real shot in the arm for the health of the people of the Delta Region and Arkansas.”
Masingill said he was happy to see Soldiers in the communities. “It is a wonderful thing to see our men and women in uniform happy people right here at home—it’s a win-win for the Army and Delta Region.”
Sgt. 1st Class Peyton C. Graham, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Brinkley clinic, which was set up at the town’s high school, said the response from the people coming to the clinic impressed him. “They are overwhelmingly appreciative of us being here.”
Graham, a native of Graham, North Carolina, assigned to the 3274th USAH, said his Soldiers fed off of the appreciation and excitement from the people they were serving. “They are excited to be here and they see the difference they are making in the community.”
The sergeant said one man’s conversation with him really struck him. “There was one gentleman, who said he was trying to get dental care for five to six years, and because of our services, we were able to help him out.”
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2014 12:22 |
| Story ID: | 141239 |
| Location: | FORREST CITY, AR, US |
| Hometown: | GRAHAM, NC, US |
| Hometown: | MARIANNA, AR, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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