Photo By Maj. Nathan DeVoe | Annette Clarke, left, executive director of the Chenango County Society for the...... read more read more
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NORWICH, N.Y. – Since the Greater Chenango Cares Innovative Readiness Training mission began on Monday, July 13, 2015, the veterinary services section, Company A, 48th Combat Support Hospital out of Fort Story, Va., has provided animal care services valued at more than $56,710 to Chenango County, all at no cost to the community.
“Greater Chenango Cares” is one of many Department of Defense-funded Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) missions designed to provide active duty and Reserve service members with real-world training in a joint civil-military environment while delivering world-class medical, dental, and veterinary services to Chenango County, New York, from July 13-23, 2015.
The veterinary services section is comprised of 17 Army Reserve service members from various units across the United States. The section’s mission, as described by 1st Lt. Matthew Watson, the officer in charge of veterinary services, is to “provide no-cost veterinary services by performing spays and neuters, and reduce the likelihood of the spread of rabies in Chenango County by administering the rabies vaccine.”
The veterinary section brings a wealth of veterinary knowledge and experience, as they are all credentialed providers that care for animals in their civilian careers.
Watson is grateful for the opportunity for his team to take care of patients, but believes the greatest experience his team will take away from the IRT mission is their immersion in a military setting for two weeks rather than only meeting one weekend each month, and exposure to training opportunities rarely available to Reservists.
“The providers here are all certified,” Watson explains, “they do this in their civilian jobs, so they’re not training on the animals. The training is in setting up an animal hospital in a span of 48 hours. If there is a disaster and we need to set up like we did this one, we can do it.”
Capt. Kimberly Jordan, a preventive medicine officer for the 169th Medical Detachment Veterinary Services out of Fort Gordon, Ga., values the opportunity to conduct realistic training and echoes Watson’s confidence in the section’s ability to perform their military mission at home and abroad.
“As a unit, the 169th has never deployed. Before Sunday we’d never set up this equipment,” expressed Jordan. “We’ll take this knowledge back to our unit, and if we deploy, we’re going to be ready for that.”
The real-life requirements of the IRT mission provide the veterinary services section with unique training opportunities to leverage aspects of their skillset that they might not otherwise use.
“This mission means a tremendous amount to me and is the exact reason I joined the Army Reserve. I haven’t done anything like this in the eight years I’ve been in the Reserve,” said Sgt. Trisha Purvis, an animal care specialist with the 169th Medical Detachment Veterinary Service.
Purvis continued by saying, “To help the community, to learn at the same time, the training I’ve received in the past few days has been amazing. I’ve learned more in the past few days than I’ve learned in the last several years. This is real-life stuff, valuable stuff that I can take home, and helping the community”.
In addition to the military training they are receiving, service members gain the experience of working in a civil-military environment. Veterinary services has partnered with the Chenango County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to provide administrative assistance during the IRT, and the organization’s Chenango County Executive Director, Ms. Annette Clarke, is excited to be a volunteer, describing the IRT as “a positive event for the community.”
Purvis and the veterinary services team are pleased to serve alongside the community’s organizations while serving its citizens, and view the relationship as mutually beneficial.
“This is what I’m passionate about… it’s more than just setting up and tearing down equipment. It’s real life training from start to finish,” expressed Purvis.
In just seven days, the veterinary section has performed more than 420 animal services, to include spays, neuters, de-worming, and rabies vaccinations.
Veterinary services will be available at no cost to the public until July 23, 2015.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2015 12:16 |
| Story ID: | 170664 |
| Location: | NORWICH, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 411 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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