Life Support Area Troop Medical Clinic treat service members

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jorge Saucedo | Petty Officer 1st Class Melanio Rivera checks a patient for breathing problems at the Troops Medical Clinic on a camp in the Middle East on March 5. Petty Officer 1st Class Rivera is on a six month deployment.  

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

04.01.2009

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kim Harris 

Media Transition Team - Kuwait

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - When you walk through the doors of the Life Support Area Troop Medical Clinic, one of the bright smiling faces you will encounter is that of Petty Officer 3rd Class Charlene Ortiz, hospital corpsman. Ortiz is a part of the all Navy Active Duty and Reserve eight person crew at the TMC.

The mission of the TMC is to sustain combat strength through the operation of a Level III hospital and five Level I and II clinics.

A Level III Trauma Center does not have the full availability of specialists, but does have resources for emergency resuscitation, surgery, and intensive care of most trauma patients. A Level III center has transfer agreements with Level I or Level II trauma centers that provide back-up resources for the care of exceptionally severe injuries.

The LSA TMC is a Level I care facility which cares for the needs of approximately 300-400 service members monthly. In their support of Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, this group provides routine and medical care and focused rehabilitation enabling optimum fitness for each service member. This also enables the servicemember to return to duty in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility with minimum delay. The staff is exceptionally trained and patients can feel confident they are in the care of capable hands.

The officer in charge is a 22-year active duty Navy veteran, Lt. Cmdr. Ronald Fancher. Fancher, a nurse practitioner, is an individual augmentee, who volunteered for duty here. During his recent deployment to Kuwait, he has rotated through several of the medical facilities from Camp Arifjan, to Virginia and now LSA.

Petty Officer 1st Class Melanio Rivera is a hospital corpsman and an 18-year active duty veteran with eight deployments under his belt. His medical background includes Advanced Lab School and Special Forces 18 Delta Army Trauma and Independent Duty Corpsman School.

According to Rivera, ALS is one of the most specialized professions in Navy Medicine. Special Forces trained personnel play a key role in delivering medical care in both combat and civil affairs arenas.

IDC School equipped Rivera with the ability to work as the medical department representative aboard surface ships, with units of the Fleet Marine Force and at other duty stations around the world. When assigned to shore duty, IDCs serve primarily as non-physician health care providers.

"It's all about the motivation of the people we can help," said Fancher, whose unit is on a six-month deployment. "The unit has worked well together from day one. Even though the unit is made up of a diverse group of people, it has impressive cohesion."

The clinic staff is also exploring the expansion into preventive measures and wellness topics. An example of this is the Smoking Cessation Program.

"We treat and prevent in the combat zone," said Fancher. "[SCP] is one of the most successful wellness topics the clinic has initiated. There was an overwhelming response to the need."

With general practitioners like Fancher and Rivera, with years of training, formal education and practical experience, the staff are well prepared to provide treatment for the medical needs of service members attached to LSA.

• Date Taken: 04.01.2009
• Date Posted: 04.01.2009 05:12
• Story ID: 31842
• Location: CAMP ARIFJAN, KW