Photo By Spc. Justin Snyder | Cindy Jo Johnson, a native of nearby Cass Lake, Minnesota, receives medical advice...... read more read more
Subscribe
LEECH LAKE INDIAN RESERVATION, Minn. – Traveling down Silver Lake Drive in Bena, Minnesota, you cross under a large wooden sign pointing you towards the destination that is the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School.
As your journey continues down the winding road, you see several school busses on the right. But instead of unloading children and preparing for dismissal, the busses sit tucked away for their summer rest.
There is a playground with a jungle gym unused, waiting for children to play, and a set of swings that only move when the wind cuts just right through the surrounding trees.
The silence is only broken up by the sound of bells going off inside the school, signaling the end of a class or the occasional door opening. However there are no students filling the hallways.
It’s summertime for the kids of the surrounding Cass Lake, Minnesota, and school is no longer in session. However there is plenty of activity inside the school’s walls.
Through the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training program, a partnership exists between the U.S. Army Reserve, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Cass Lake Indian Health Service which brought approximately 40 medical professionals including doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists, dental technicians and combat medics to the reservation to provide needed medical care. The Soldiers, from the 7218th Medical Support Unit out of Louisville, Kentucky, are providing no-cost health care services to individuals seeking their services at the school.
“It is invaluable for us as the Army Reserve to do what we do best and that is to provide world class medical treatment to those in need,” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Marsiglia, deputy commanding general for U.S. Army Reserve Medical Command. “It takes a lot of planning and work, but it’s a testament of what we can do, no matter the location or circumstances.”
In terms of planning, the makeshift clinic took about two days for the unit to set up. Ten different classrooms were utilized in support of various medical services, along with the gym area for patient in-processing and the cafeteria to record patient vitals including weight and blood pressure.
Signs were placed throughout the hallways with labels identifying different rooms, and extra tables were used for seeing patients.
Though the setup was efficient, creative thinking was required for some early challenges. When needed equipment arrived at the school to begin the mission, there was no immediate way to unload it. Through the partnership with the school and the reservation, they worked together and came to the rescue with a forklift.
“I think it just shows how appreciative the local people are of what we are hosting here and that we are taking care of their primary needs,” said 1st Sgt. Jason Jacobus, a combat medic assigned to the 7218th MSU.
“Everybody here has been extremely accommodating in providing us with whatever we needed to make sure things went well and smooth,” Jacobus said.
Jacobus believes that the different challenges the unit faced were reflective of what units face when deployed, and was happy with the overall set-up.
“As Army Reserve Soldiers, we are multi-facilitated and can really be put into any condition and adapt to that situation,” said Jacobus, a Louisville, Kentucky native. “We always have contingency plans and are thinking ahead to ensure that we can make things work no matter what. I’m proud of what we did here for these people.”
| Date Taken: | 07.19.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.10.2018 08:44 |
| Story ID: | 286473 |
| Location: | BENA, MN, US |
| Hometown: | LOUISVILLE, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, School’s Out for Summer, Medical Services Are In, by SPC Justin Snyder, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT