U.S. Air Force physician assistant makes difference in Afghan lives

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

02.03.2009

Story by Capt. Stacie Shafran 

Combined Joint Task Force 101

By U.S. Air Force Capt. Stacie N. Shafran
Combined Joint Task Force- 101

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – What began last summer as a short-notice tasking to Afghanistan has turned into the opportunity of a lifetime for an Air Force physician assistant.

U.S. Air Force Capt. James Parris, a physician assistant from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is deployed as part of the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team in Gardez, Afghanistan.

After training in various locations stateside, Parris arrived at Forward Operating Base Gardez with his PRT and became the PRT's director of medical plans.

"My work here is more of coordination, meetings, project overview and monitoring," he said. "Before I came here, I thought my primary mission would be taking care of my team for nine months. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be coordinating projects that affect the lives of almost 500,000 Afghans!"

He supervises the three enlisted Air Force medics assigned to the team.

"Together we are responsible for taking care of our team's illnesses or injuries. We are well prepared to care for injuries, whether combat related or otherwise. My team also conducts weekly medical training for the PRT, ensuring we're all ready in the event of an attack on the FOB or on a convoy," said Parris.

He's also responsible for the FOB's mass casualty plan and coordination with the U.S. Army Battalion Aid Station, which "owns" the medical care for the FOB itself. This unit treats the Army personnel, civilians, Afghan security guards and interpreters who reside on the FOB.

The captain oversees programs related to the province's medical or health concerns. In the past, PRTs offered medical civil affairs programs, which provided mobile medical care to the locals.

"This helped people directly, but over the years we found that they essentially undermined the Afghan government and the local economy," he said. "If our medical team treats ill Afghans, this takes money away from the local doctors. If we provide medicine, the local pharmacist can't feed his family. These MEDCAPS also had an American face on them, something we now strive to avoid. Our PRT's goal is to develop and foster the Afghan government's credibility and strength."

Most of the villages still lack power or transportation and have limited health facilities. Getting to a health facility is still a long, grueling process for some. People die from illness or injury due to the inability to get to a health facility. The PRT is focused on projects, such as building roads that will connect people to their infrastructure and increase trade.

"We are striving for quality and sustainability in all areas. As the saying goes, we are no longer giving people fish. We are teaching them to fish so that they can sustain long after our mission here is complete," he said.

The captain arranges for clinics to be staffed and ensures that needed equipment and medicine are available. He's overseeing a $7.5 million 100-bed provincial hospital, a mid-wife training center, a nurse training center, a maternity hospital, an eye care hospital, as well as the building of numerous clinics.

In order to combat malnutrition among children, Parris is trying to institute a "strong foods" program province-wide over the winter months that will aid children under five. The mortality rate for this age group is tremendous, and nearly 20 percent of the children do not reach their fifth birthday, he said. The "strong foods" program uses locally purchased items such as almonds, milk, oil, sugar and liquid vitamins to make a food paste. The paste increases the children's weight up to a pound per week, restoring their health status to normal in as little as six to eight weeks.

With six more months remaining on his deployment, Parris is optimistic about the progress he and his team will bring to Paktya.

"I have always wanted to make a difference and help people live a better life," Parris said. "That's the reason I became a PA over eight years ago. After this assignment, I will know for sure that I have turned my dream into reality."

• Date Taken: 02.03.2009
• Date Posted: 02.03.2009 06:43
• Story ID: 29579
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF