At 20-years-old, selflessly caring for others was already in her blood. The medical field enabled her to act on her altruistic ways, working as a State Tested Nursing Assistant. Her love for the medical field grew more and more with every patient she interacted with. Her focus was on the Geriatric community, providing care and support to the elderly to help meet their long term care needs and improve their quality of life. This position fueled her fire, solidifying that the medical field was where she was meant to be, eventually leading her to the 179th Airlift Wing Medical Group.
For Technical Sergeant Sarah Lewis, Health Services Administrator with the 179th Airlift Wing Medical group, being a medical care provider has given her opportunities near and far to provide aid to those around her, improving the overall readiness for the total force.
Initially starting as a Security Forces member at the 179th, Lewis worked for ten years as a defender until deciding to cross train into the medical field five years ago.
“Being in Security Forces really helped me to step outside my comfort zone, I previously was shy talking to strangers, but through Security Forces it forced me to be more outgoing,” said Lewis. “Security Forces definitely laid the ground work for me for the position I am in now.”
Lewis said that switching to the medical field has been a huge help for her future endeavors, whether that be through creating professional relationships with other members on base, or giving her opportunities to travel and provide medical to those outside of the community here.
“Currently I am working at obtaining my Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, hoping to specialize in aiding military members with trauma, as well as working with first responders,” said Lewis. “Through working at the 179th, I have been able to connect with Staff Sergeant Patrick Williams, a member of the 179th as well as a Mansfield Police Officer, to do quarterly ride alongs. In doing so, this has really helped me to see the need in the community for trauma specialized social workers.”
Lewis, contributes the opportunities she has had to the wonderful members that she works alongside. Being a single mom of two, Lewis said it is not always easy, but with the support of her coworkers and her two children everyone always works together to get the job done.
“I am so thankful for the work family here as well as outside family that allow me to pursue my endeavors,” said Lewis. “Sometimes it takes some work to get all the schedules to work together but everyone works together.”
Lewis uses her caring nature she exhibits at home with her children, to her position in the Guard. As a Health Services Administrator, Lewis is in charge of setting up appointments for the fulltime medical provider, a new job position the Guard has established. The 179th is one of the first bases that have a full time provider, and it has proved to be very beneficial resource to the members, said Lewis.
“This is a very important piece for the overall tracking of member’s wellness to ensure they’re deployable ready and that they have the quality of care they need.” Said Lewis.
Being healthy and happy is a basic human need for everyone. If there are members who are not receiving the care they need, it impacts the overall readiness of the total force, which can be detrimental, said Lewis.
Lewis has had opportunities to branch out and serve those outside of the 179th Airlift Wing to ensure the healthiness of members near and far, most recently during their trip to Germany to strengthen their own preparedness and to provide care to individuals there.
While in Germany, Lewis was working with a team tasked to take patients that were in serious need of care from the airfield to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Lewis recalled one specific patient that really opened her eyes to see how she impacts the total force.
“We were transporting one very young service member that was unconscious, I couldn’t stop thinking about his mom,” said Lewis. “How she must be feeling not being able to be with her child, knowing how bad I would want to be with my children, it was all I could do to not cry. I made sure I was there with him and that he was in the right hands. Thankfully, he had a whole team waiting to care for him at the medical center. It was overwhelming to see the kind of care we are able to provide for our service members,” Lewis said, holding back tears.
Throughout the past five years serving as a military care provider, Lewis has had the opportunity to impact many members lives for the better, helping them to remain ready at a moment’s notice whether it be here in Mansfield, or oversees to deployed members. Lewis said she plans on continuing to help those in need, but to branch out into more sections of the medical field once obtaining her degree.