Construction underway on new medical clinic on FOB Andar

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class andrew guffey | U.S. Army Spc. Neville Cole, a carpentry and masonry specialist with 623rd Engineer Company, 1249th Engineer Battalion, Nebraska Army National Guard, and native of Atkinson, Neb., assembles rafters that will be used in the construction of the roof of a new troop medical clinic on Forward Operating Base Andar, Afghanistan, April 23. A properly built roof will be able to withstand the harsh elements and provide better protection for the equipment that will be emplaced in the structure. (Photo by: Staff Sgt. Andrew Guffey)  

GHAZNI PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

04.23.2011

Courtesy Story

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

By: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Guffey
210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Construction of a new clinic at Forward Operating Base Andar, Afghanistan, is underway and projected to be completed by the end of May.

Soldiers from the Nebraska National Guard’s 623rd Engineer Company, 1249th Engineer Battalion are constructing the 3,300 square foot clinic that will provide care for the units in the area.

After completion of this new facility, Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, as well as Afghan National Security Forces and contractors will be able to receive better care.

“We give the best care that is possible and with this new facility we will be able to provide better care and get the Soldiers back to the fight faster” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Cole, a 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment surgeon and native of Whitehall, Ark.

Cole, along with other medical staff members, had a lot of input on how the new facility would be constructed.

“We needed a hard building that would be able to handle the elements” said Cole.

The older facility is a 300 square foot tent with two litters set up for treatment of patients, which is hard to climate control and tends to leak in adverse weather.

Dust is another factor because it’s hard to seal up a tent and a sterile environment is key to proper medical care.

The new facility is being built near the helicopter landing zone to provide quick access to the trauma center for incoming wounded. The extra space inside allows medics to accommodate more patients and separate them by priority.

“We needed to be able to handle more traumas more quickly” Cole said.

There are 24 medics that are assigned to work at the clinic, split into three teams: a detail team, a training team and a team on duty at the clinic. The teams rotate daily but in the event of a mass casualty situation they all report to the aid station for further instructions.

“This is one of the few jobs in the army that doesn’t get to do their job on a daily basis so we need to be able to keep everyone up on the skills, these skills are very perishable” said Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Bost, non-commissioned officer in charge of the clinic, and native of Philadelphia, Miss.

When construction is compete they will have three screening rooms, four trauma beds, command offices, a pharmacy, a storage area and an area for the combat stress team that is located on FOB Andar.

• Date Taken: 04.23.2011
• Date Posted: 04.29.2011 00:43
• Story ID: 69529
• Location: GHAZNI PROVINCE, AF