U.S. Army-Led Pharmacy Supports Exercise New Horizons 2018

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Dustin Mullen | U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kevin Gamble, 346th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron officer in-charge of the pharmacy, sorts medicine during Exercise New Horizons 2018, May 15, 2018, in the Coclé Province of Panama. The medical team is participating in Exercise New Horizons 2018, which is a joint training exercise focused on civil engineer, medical, and support service personnel’s ability to prepare, deploy, operate, and redeploy outside the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Dustin Mullen/Released)  

COCLE, PANAMA

05.18.2018

Story by Senior Airman Dustin Mullen 

325th Fighter Wing

After every patient receives the medical advice and care they need from the New Horizons 2018 doctors, their final stop is the pharmacy, where a team of U.S. Army Soldiers and Panamanian Ministry of Health (MINSA) pharmacists provide prescribed medications.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kevin Gamble, 346th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron officer in-charge of the pharmacy, leads a team of three Soldiers and usually at least one augmentee during the Medical Readiness Training Exercise, or MEDRETE, portion of New Horizons 2018.
“We dispense a full spectrum of medications to the patient population based on the medical supplies we were originally given and adapted it to the current patient needs,” Gamble said.
During the exercise, the pharmacy team worked directly with the MINSA, who also provided a pharmacy team and stockpile of medications.
“MINSA has their own pharmacy group and own supplies,” Gamble said. “They were able to bring forward a lot of the medications we need for our humanitarian mission. They brought pain medications, de-worming medications, and breathing medications to support other types of care you would see in this area.”
Gamble also said the interaction between the Army-led pharmacy and the MINSA pharmacy have provided an insight into the medications of other countries, enhancing their cross-cultural knowledge.
“This is also a fantastic opportunity to build relationships with the people of Panama,” Gamble said. “We talk, share stories and most importantly, we are bringing care to patients.”
For the entire exercise, the pharmacy brought 144,000 multivitamins and more than 100,000 pediatric and prenatal vitamins. The team’s goal is to see as many patients possible and deliver the entirety of their supplies as required from the doctor’s prescriptions. Having these basic vitamins, Gamble said, will help patients fall in line with the Panamanian health care system and focuses on preventative care.
“Short-term care and health overall is really important,” Gamble said. “What we like about Panamanian health care is their focus on preventative medicine, which keeps people from having to go to the health care system. Giving them multivitamins doesn’t solve their nutrition problems, but it can give them a step up.”
Gamble participated in New Horizons 2013 in Belize and he said his experience there has better equip him to handle the mission in Panama and also train his team.
“I have done this before, so I have been able to pull in the experience I have gained,” Gamble said. “The other soldiers in the pharmacy have not done this before, so this is my opportunity to train them and help them get ready for future missions.”
Gamble is deployed from the 7456th Medical Backfill Battalion, DET 1, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The battalion’s purpose is to augment specific people to fill roles in specific missions. For New Horizons 2018, the battalion sent a pharmacist and a physical therapist.
This exercise is the first time Gamble has worked in an Air Force led exercise.
“It has been awesome working with the Air Force,” Gamble said. “This is the first time I have had a joint operation with the Air Force and I think they have done a great job of planning it, executing it and making sure everyone has the supplies and resources they need. They have done a great job of treating us all like one unit.”
Exercise New Horizons 2018 is a joint exercise bringing together all branches of service to include National Guard and Reserve forces as well.
“There is also the Navy and Marines,” Gamble said. “It is definitely the United States of America here, not just one force in particular.”

• Date Taken: 05.18.2018
• Date Posted: 05.22.2018 13:07
• Story ID: 277923
• Location: COCLE, PA