Joint Aid Station Health Fair Keeps Troopers Informed and Healthy

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Cheryl Dilgard | Navy Lt. Angela Coriano of the Joint Stress Mitigation.  

03.12.2008

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cheryl Dilgard 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

By Petty Officer 2nd Class Cheryl Dilgard
Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – Safe sex kits, nutrition information, stress balls and blood pressure checks were among the many health aids and services offered free, March 6 and 7, to Joint Task Force troopers at the Joint Aid Station health fair.

"We want to let people know we're a resource," said Navy Lt. Nicole Hoffman, the naval station dietician.

Lt. Hoffman manned the nutrition booth which exhibited how much sugar is in everyday items and what percentage of common foods is made up of fat. Her booth also provided information on proper nutrition and eating healthy as well as dietary and training logs.

"When deployed many people eat and work out differently than they do at home," said Hoffman. "For some it is easy to gain weight when deployed."

Preventative medicine, naval hospital department, operated another booth that featured information on sexual transmitted diseases and pregnancy. The booth provided free oral sex contraceptives, condoms, and safe sex kits, as well as information on sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

"We have had a decline in the rate of STD's," said Petty Officer 1st Class Fred Turner. "Last summer we had more reported STD's than we do now."

The JAS staff believes that accurate health information and contraceptive helped contribute to this decline.

"We are all adults here so celibacy is not likely. People need to act responsibly," said Navy Lt. Marc Dobson. "If folks used condoms we would see almost zero percent STD transmission."

"We want to educate people, we want them to come to us before they get an STD," added Turner.

The JAS clinic provides confidential STD screening and has free condoms readily available in every exam room as well as the waiting room.

The Joint Stress Mitigation and Restoration team was also represented at the health fair. JSMART provided information on ways to alleviate stress and the services they provide. They gave away squeeze balls, slinkies, yo-yos, stress cards, books, as well as literature on stress and stress relief.

"The most common stresses people deployed here feel are family stressors back home," said Navy Lt. Angela Coriano, who manned the JSMART booth. "We help them find ways to relieve that stress either by relaxing, breathing, exercise, or hanging with friends, so they will put their focus elsewhere."

Another booth, manned by Dobson, conducted blood pressure checks and provided information on a variety of health problems that tend to be common in older service members.

"With a more mature JTF population most – reservists and guardsmen being over 30 – there are higher incidences of hypertension, high cholesterol, and more muscle and skeletal injuries that take longer to heal," said Dobson.

• Date Taken: 03.12.2008
• Date Posted: 03.14.2008 14:58
• Story ID: 17374