One stop aid station saves time for 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Soldiers

Photo By Staff Sgt. Bryanna Poulin | Pvt. Katherin Hibbard, health care specialist/combat medic with Headquarters Support Company, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and native of Sunnyville, Calif., listens to the pulse of Staff Sgt. Franklin Siverio, section sergeant, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd CAB during a sick hall visit at the new Troop Medical Clinic at Contingency Operating Base Speicher. (Photo by Spc. Bryanna Poulin)  

TIKRIT, IRAQ

04.19.2007

Courtesy Story

25th Combat Aviation Brigade

By Spc. Bryanna Poulin
25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

TIKRIT, Iraq -- Col. Harry G. Summers Jr., a military analyst, once said, "The combat Army has a totally different ethic: Accomplish your mission and take care of your men."

For the medical personnel with Headquarters Support Company, 209th Aviation Support Battalion, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd CAB, keeping Soldiers healthy is their mission.

"We are here to ensure Soldiers are healthy," said Pvt. Katherin Hibbard, health care specialist and combat medic with HHC, 25th CAB and native of Sunnyville, Calif. "Soldiers have to stay strong so they can continue their missions."

On April 14, the Troop Medical Center at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, held an open house to show the new facility that took almost a year to complete.

"The building was the brainchild of the 101st Airborne Division surgeon," noted

Maj. Winnie Elizabeth Paul, senior physician assistant for HHC 25th CAB, and resident of Honolulu. "When we arrived, the plans were in place and ready for ground breaking."

The development of the new level one clinic allows the standard of care that most Soldiers expect. Acute trauma care, sick call and basic health care needs are all daily operations for the clinic.

"The aid station offers sick call twice a day for ailments like dehydrations, bladder infections, viruses, headaches and muscles strains," Paul noted. "Medics are also trained in rendering cardiopulmonary resuscitation and providing basic care for the Soldiers."

What makes this treatment facility unique, however, is the time it will save for Soldiers needing extensive physicals. Whether it's the annual physical required for pilots or a physical that must be prepared for officer packets, Soldiers no longer need to journey all over COB Speicher to meet these obligations.

"The Army offers many educational opportunities for service members to take advantage of," said Paul who also went from enlisted to officer. "Programs like Warrant Officer School and Officer Candidate School require a physical including evaluation of vital signs, a dental assessment and a physical exam from a doctor."

Furthermore, aviator physicals are more involved, Paul said. Records must be reviewed by doctors to determine if there are any health changes, previous illnesses or operations. Pilots must get a hearing assessment and optometry test. Dependent on age, they may also need lab work, a chest x-ray and electrocardiogram to complete their physical exams.

"It's not fair for deployed Soldiers to miss out on these chances because they don't have time to complete a physical," Paul said. "In a deployed environment, Soldiers have missions and can't spend a lot of time away from their units."

In the past it would have taken Soldiers a few days to complete a physical because they would have traveled to different locations, Hibbard added. With the new health center, Soldiers have almost everything here.

"Time is essential in a combat zone," Paul said. "Two days away from a mission is a major concern when you're flying over a battlefield."

For the medical staff to provide continuous operations, one of the challenges was to merge three providers into one building.

"The idea was to consolidate HSC, 209th ASB and 1-82nd into one location," Paul stated. "We brought everyone together to have around the clock medical care available for Soldiers."

Having healthy Soldiers is vital for battle plans, and providing courteous, well-organized personal care respects the patients' needs. Soldiers want to feel like a patient not a number, Hibbard said.

"We are in a war zone and everything in the examining rooms now has the resources to provide courteous, efficient and private standards of care to patients," Paul concluded.

• Date Taken: 04.19.2007
• Date Posted: 04.19.2007 11:31
• Story ID: 10009
• Location: TIKRIT, IQ