Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Carmen Fleischmann | The primary mission of the Navy hospital corpsmen assigned to Joint Task Force...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY Cuba- They wear Navy uniforms, military boots and sometimes protective equipment: face shields and outer protective suits. They walk the beat of their assigned block, listening and looking periodically for anyone in need of assistance. They aren’t there to keep the order however, their mission is simple, but oftentimes difficult: They are the Navy hospital corpsmen of the detention facilities at Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
The primary responsibilities of corpsmen working in the camps do not differ much from their counterparts working in the Joint Troop Clinic providing medical treatment to service members deployed here. Their tasks include passing daily prescribed medications to
detainees who need them and performing standard blood draws for laboratory testing.
“In the camps here, the hospital corpsmen assigned to detainee medical care essentially serve as a medium between the nurses and the provider,” said a petty officer third class working in Camp 5. Twenty-four hours a day, a detainee can request assistance, medicines or simply to speak with a hospital corpsmen about a particular medical issue.
Depending on the severity of a medical concern, a corpsman can
immediately treat a detainee’s injury or issue on site, schedule an appointment with a provider, or if needed, contact a specialty provider to come in as soon as possible.
Providers serve in a similar capacity as they do when treating military members, prescribing necessary medication, scheduling appointments and seeing patients.
General practitioners are here to treat ailments like aches and pains or cold and flu symptoms for the detainees, identical to the ones seen by families back in the states. Radiology, gastrointestinal
specialists, physical therapy and others combine to provide a full medical staff for around-the-clock detainee medical care.
On his last deployment, the petty officer was responsible for providing medical care for more than 120 Sailors. Working in the camps, he is now assigned a small number of detainees on a particular block.
While the corpsman said this assignment is more clinical than the last, one thing remains the same:
“It’s the same level of care,” he said.
“The same care that my Sailors got is the same care that the detainees get.”
A Navy petty officer second class hospital corpsman had two prior deployments with an infantry battalion, requiring him to treat more combat-related injuries.
In order to foster the trusting relationship between a medical care provider and his or her patient, the corpsmen must remain approachable.
“The corpsmen are here to help and take care of any of their needs; we’re here to help them.”
Corpsmen also rely on the guards however, to ensure their safety while providing medical services. The senior chief of Camp 5 and 6 recognizes the relationship of the corpsmen and the guard force, as well as what they share with the detainees. The unique environment of the detention facilities makes his task of supervising a section slightly different than his previous assignments.
“From a leadership perspective, it’s the same. The atmosphere and the conditions are much more different, and we have to watch for different things because of the detainees we serve down here. Back home, we have people that are willing to accept our care and are
looking for it, whereas here, it’s not always that easy,” said a corpsman.
There are some patients that refused to be seen by a female. Oftentimes she needs an escort simply to pass medications. GTMO being her first deployment, she came with an open mind and tries to focus on the fact that despite working in the camps each day, Warriors deployed here are fortunate to receive off time to
decompress as well.
“Just know that we get to go home at the end of the day,” she said. “You get to de-stress, come back the next and do it all over again.”
Working in the camps is not the sole responsibility of corpsmen here, as others work in various locations, focused on the care of our fighting force. Whether in the camps or at the clinic, the level of
medical care provided by the dedicated men and women the hospital
corps remains the same.
| Date Taken: | 10.24.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 10.24.2014 11:29 |
| Story ID: | 145973 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Corpsmen in the camps: 24-hour detainee medical care, by SFC Carmen Fleischmann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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