Photo By Monique LaRouche | Lieutenant Bruce Matchin, officer in charge of Combat Logistics Battalion 4, and Petty...... read more read more
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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – The combined aid medical support clinics on Camp Leatherneck offer a variety of services, conduct research, and provide a place for recovery.
There are five clinics in the campus-like atmosphere. Although all five have separate areas of care, each are advanced in what they offer complimenting one another with the treatments provided.
The Combined Aid Station clinic provides services such as sick call, pharmacy, X-ray, laboratory and minor procedures. They see between 50 to 70 patients a day, said Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Elliot, officer in charge.
This is fantastic care in the middle of the desert and is a one stop-shop, said Elliot, a native of Pensacola, Fla. Most of what they see are musculoskeletal injuries, which are usually due to strenuous activity. They also diagnose sprained ankles and knee injuries from physical exercising and twisting of ankles on the rocks. They see lacerations on fingers that are caught in vehicle doors, a few heart attacks, cases of appendicitis, resetting fractures and minor stitching of wounds, said Elliot.
Care is available to U.S. servicemembers, civilians and third country nationals. The clinic offers preventive medicine, sports medicine and has on-call duty staff for after hour emergencies and an ambulance. Females can be seen by the family practitioners.
The medical clinics provide all the services to keep members in theatre. The clinic is constantly busy, if they are not treating patients, running labs, doing X-rays, then they are conducting medical drills. They have a trauma bay for any mass casualties and keep active with fire dispatch drills.
The walls of the clinic are lined with posters of local animals and insects. Warning signs are displayed and cautions of local wildlife, and the dangers that go along with rabies and malaria. Heat stroke this time of year is also common and they see patients who are dehydrated. Most people go to the CAS, it is centrally located and they take care of anything that is not an amputee, said Elliot.
“Anything we can take care of here safely and effectively, we will,” said Elliot.
After that is the Extended Care Ward and it is basic patient care with staff available 24-hours a day. A large room with beds sits off the nursing station and can hold up to 16 patients. This is a safe and effective way for patients to recover, said Lt. Stacey Chang, a nurse in the Concussion Restorative Care Center.
The recreation room has a guitar, keyboards and a dart board, essential tools to recover. An organization that supports the troops made quilts that were hung on the walls and placed on the beds. The low lighting and the calming atmosphere gives patients an opportunity to relax and recover, said Chang. This is a place clients can recover instead of going back to the States.
Within the compound is the Combined Stress Team unit which is a combination of counseling, psychology and psychiatry. Approximately 275 to 300 patients are seen a month and they treat servicemembers who are struggling with mostly interpersonal conflicts. Only 15 percent are combat stress related, the remaining 85 percent of the clientele are seen for mental health problems. Most of the clients seen have stressors from home and problems before being deployed, said Lt. Cmdr. David Burke, officer in charge.
The team of five consists of two psychiatrists and three physiologists. They provide a variety of therapies including Cognitive Process Therapy which is used by clinicians to help patients recover from post traumatic stress disorder. The therapy helps members remember the circumstances in which the traumatic event occurred, decreasing self-blame and guilt and increasing acceptance.
Some of the trauma is a result of previous deployments and getting shot at doesn’t necessarily bring on PTSD, said Burke. They have a 98 percent return rate and the goal is to keep members in the fight.
Next is the CRCC which deals with sports medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy and mild traumatic brain injury patients.
The concussion care area is unique in its own way. Patients can mentor each other in the open-bay area, said Cmdr. Todd May, the officer in charge of all of the clinics. Patients in early stages of concessional care can talk with the ones who are at the end stages of treatment, allowing them to be the subject matter experts. Todd explained that five new concussion research projects are being conducted at the CRCC, in hopes to improve the ability to diagnosis concussions.
Along with the many therapies given at the CRCC another model they endorse is acupuncture for acute pain.
Lance Cpl. Seth Dezan, Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Forward Operating Base Duluth, was recently cared for by the CRCC and received acupuncture.
“It was great,” said Dezan. “They put needles in my back and on my ears, it really helped.”
Dezan, who was the driver when his convoy hit an improvised explosive device on April 13, spent 11 days at the ECW. He was able to get the rest he needed and returned fit for full duty back to his unit.
Another part of the CRCC is the smoking cessation course. Counselors are available to help members quit smoking. They are expected to keep a journal to track the times of day when they smoke and to learn about ways to break the habits that are involved with smoking.
The physical and occupational therapy is in the same building as the ECW, and is in a separate fitness room. The staff there assists with all types of physical and occupational therapies and appointments are necessary.
The Wounded Warrior barracks is one of final steps to recovery and is considered a minimal care ward. It looks like a college dormitory and the patients can come and go as they please, as long as they sign out. The pool table, lounge and big screen television helps the members to recover.
Petty Officer 1st Class Keith Brown, Wounded Warrior Outpatient Coordinator and Wounded Warrior Patient Tracker, is responsible for the accountability, extended care and overall quality of life for the combat wounded personnel staying at the Wounded Warrior Berthing.
“There are 48 beds here set up for both male and female patients. I've had 67 patients since taking over on March 1,” said Keith, a native of Memphis, Tenn. “I see patients come in waves mostly in pairs from the same units.”
Keith said he noticed an increase in patients since the spring fighting season. This is Keith’s first tour to Afghanistan and was deployed twice to Iraq during 2004 and 2005 with the 3rd Bn., 4th Marines.
Keith is optimistic when describing the situation at the Wounded Warrior Barracks.
“Having the camaraderie and fellowship with other servicemembers both in and out of my branch is pretty awesome. Most of these guys we would have never crossed paths if we weren't hear together,” he said.
“It’s where patients go once they do not need nursing supervision and they do not have a place to stay on Camp Leatherneck,” said Chang.
In the lounge, patients wait to see the doctors and hopefully get the go ahead to head back to their units and possibly making new friends in the process.
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2012 08:20 |
| Story ID: | 88437 |
| Location: | AX |
| Hometown: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Web Views: | 334 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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