U.S. Army medical personnel visit Ghana in preparation for medical readiness exercise

Photo By Staff Sgt. Amanda Fry | Col. Jennifer Gurney, an Army surgeon, tours the Military Hospital in Accra, Ghana, as part of a pre-exercise planning phase for a medical readiness exercise scheduled to take place in June. Medical readiness exercises provide a real-world environment where medical professionals from both militaries can build and strengthen medical treatment capability and capacity by honing their skills while also learning different protocols from their counterparts. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Amanda Fry)  

ACCRA, GHANA

01.27.2022

Story by Staff Sgt. Amanda Fry 

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

ACCRA, Ghana -- U.S. Army and Ghana Armed Forces medical personnel met at the 37 Military Hospital here as part of the final preparations for a medical readiness exercise scheduled for June.

Col. Jennifer Gurney, a surgeon with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, along with soldiers with the Brooke Army Medical Center at the Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston, toured the hospital Jan. 18.

Gurney she said she was looking forward to the June exercise, which will also incorporate soldiers from the North Dakota National Guard, and anticipated a cohesive partnership with both U.S. and GAF soldiers benefiting and learning from each other.

“Partnering with any nation and learning their systems of care and them learning our system of care, I think is always beneficial,” Gurney said. “Bidirectional lessons learned helps further advance their training, everything from tactical operations and strategic planning, and the same goes for us.”

During the 3 week-long training event, U.S. Army medical personnel will partner with Ghanaian medical professionals in surgery centers and clinic settings. The real-world environment will allow participants to provide medical care to Ghanaians and offer training opportunities to enhance capabilities at the facility.

“We can bring certain amounts of expertise in trauma systems, hospital systems and pre- hospital systems,” Gurney said. She add that the exercise will also help Soldiers learn to work in environments with different levels of technology.

U.S. Army Nurse Sgt. First Class Eric Quintanilla, assigned to BAMC, attended the tour and helped coordinate logistical aspects for the exercise. Quintanilla said the tour and planning meetings provided his team with insights into the specific needs the hospital has prior to the exercise, which will help shape the final training schedule and resources that the Army brings to the MEDREX.

“We are not only strengthening the resources and the training here but we are also bringing that experience to our soldiers,” Quintanilla said. “When we do find ourselves conducting prolonged field care, our soldiers are not going to be shocked and not know what to do. They will have the confidence and the resolve to say, ‘Hey, I’ve been in this situation before. I can figure this out.’”

• Date Taken: 01.27.2022
• Date Posted: 01.27.2022 12:02
• Story ID: 413518
• Location: ACCRA, GH