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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas - U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) has trained 31 medical officers from different branches to treat and prevent the spread of Ebola, Nov. 17-21, 2014. The training prepared military professionals to work alongside civilian counterparts to respond to Ebola in the U.S. if and when needed.
The Medical Support Team Augmentation Course was held at Brook Army Medical Center on Joint Base San Antonio, which is home to ARNORTH the primary headquarters for overseeing Defense Support of Civil Authorities missions as well as the Defense Health Agency’s Medical Education and Training Campus and the Brooke Army Medical Center. Although the team is training here, they will be ready to respond to a mission anywhere in the United States.
“The primary mission of this training is for the MST to deploy within the United States and take care of patients afflicted with Ebola,” said Kristie Yeakle, an alternate bio-safety officer, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the lead personal protective equipment instructor for the Medical Support Team Augmentation Course. “This course is very important. We want to ensure that the team were sending out understands the mission, and practices proper safety principles.”
This is the second such class to train military medical officers. ARNORTH stood up the first Medical Support Team earlier this year. The second class is designed to augment the existing Medical Support Team.
“I’m honored to be on this team and work with the Army, Navy and Air Force,” said Maj. DeAnn Callanan, an Odessa, Texas, native, and a nurse with the Office of the Surgeon General.
U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) partners with civilian agencies to provide military support when requested by the Department of Health and Human Services and approved by the secretary of defense. The outbreak of the Ebola virus and the willingness of the United States to help in the prevention of an increased outbreak have spurred the need to have trained personnel that can treat and contain the virus.
“We just don’t normally deal with exotic diseases like this with such a high mortality rate,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Steven Schutt, a Shelby Township, Michigan, native, and an environmental health officer with Naval Hospital Bremerton, Washington. “With this training and the skill sets of health care professionals on the team we could respond and do a great job.”
Service members learned how to properly don [put on] and doff [take off] the Tyvek Personal Protective suit in a manner to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus disease. They were given specific medical task to preform while in their cumbersome suits which included hazardous waste disposal, drawing blood, ultra sound scans, mortuary affairs and other medical procedures. The major focus was to stop cross contamination and the spread of the disease.
“[The Tyvek Personal Protective suit] definitely presents some challenges that you normally don’t deal with in patient care,” said Schutt. “It’s something you got to get used to. We practiced putting it on and taking it off. The more you wear it the more comfortable you get.”
The students spent many hours wearing the protective equipment and conducting meticulous sanitation procedures.
“The biggest thing is muscle memory,” said Capt. James Radike, a Chesapeake, Virginia, native and infectious disease physician with the Naval Hospital Portsmouth, Virginia.
The training the medical support team conducted over a week long period meets the Centers of Disease Control guidelines for health professionals working with Ebola patients.
“We have been learning about Ebola,” said Callanan. “We are going over case scenarios, lots of hands on training, putting our protective gear on, taking it off and basically focusing on team work.”
“The training has been excellent and were getting a good experience,” said Schutt.
The trained MST augmenters will return to their home station and stand prepared to be called upon at moment’s notice.
| Date Taken: | 11.19.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2014 14:55 |
| Story ID: | 148956 |
| Location: | FORT SAM HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | CHESAPEAKE, VA, US |
| Hometown: | ODESSA, TX, US |
| Hometown: | SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI, US |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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