Photo By Ronald Bell | U.S. Army Reserve Spc. Toby Tweedy, takes a patients blood pressure in Pikesville,...... read more read more
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PIKEVILLE, TENN. – Soldiers from the 139th Medical Brigade provided medical services to the communities of Bledsoe and Rhea County, Tenn., during Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) Healthy Tennesseans. Services included optometry, health exams, dental, veterinary care, and public health education by credentialed healthcare providers.
With 35 years as a nurse and three IRT missions under her belt, Maj. Penny Smith, an Army Reserve Medical Surgical Nurse (66H) with the 141st Medical Detachment out of Springfield, Mo., trained new medics on what to look for while checking vital signs to identify underlying causes of injuries and diseases.
Recalling a previous IRT, Smith told of seeing a patient in a wheelchair and noticing something wasn’t quite right. After talking to the patient and caregiver, she escorted them to the behavioral health provider. Afterwards, they returned to her and expressed their gratitude that she was there that day.
“It just made it all the more reason why I like coming to these, because you're always going to touch at least one person, whether it's in a small way or a big way. And that to me, keeps me coming back,” said Smith.
IRT missions provide training opportunities to military medical units while providing healthcare benefits at no-cost to communities in the United States.
“It's nice seeing someone come in pain and leave with a smile. It's something that they either couldn't afford or have access to in a local community. It's amazing to provide that to them,” said Spc. John Braasch, a dental specialist with the 143rd Dental Company in Denver, Co.
“It opens your heart, if you don't have one, you'll have one when you're done,” said Smith.
139th Medical Brigade Soldiers participating in IRT Healthy Tennesseans were joined by the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Active Duty Air Force, U.S. Public Health Services, the Active Duty Navy, Navy Reserve, and the Marines Corps Reserve.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2023 14:37 |
| Story ID: | 449756 |
| Location: | PIKEVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Hometown: | BLEDSOE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Hometown: | DENVER, COLORADO, US |
| Hometown: | EVENSVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Hometown: | INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | PIKEVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 138 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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