By Gustave Rehnstrom Winn ACH Public Affairs
FORT STEWART, Ga. — When an invisible biological or chemical hazard strikes, the difference between a contained event and a community-wide emergency often comes down to the first healthcare worker who spots the signs.
To sharpen those frontline defenses, personnel at Winn Army Community Hospital completed specialized biodefense and patient decontamination training Sept. 9–11, led by experts from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. The three-day initiative brought together medics, nurses, technicians, first responders, and decontamination team members to practice identifying, isolating, and treating casualties exposed to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards before a potential outbreak can spread beyond the hospital doors.
For USAMRIID, bridging the gap between high-level laboratory research and practical emergency response is the core mission.
“Our mission at the Division of Medicine, as the training team here, what we do is we translate the science and research being done in the labs and operationalize that for the warfighter and for those caring for the warfighter,” said Lt. Col. Sandeep Rahangdale, chief of the Division of Medicine at USAMRIID.
Rahangdale emphasized that early recognition remains the most critical step in mitigating a bio-threat, as medical personnel often treat patients displaying atypical symptoms long before a specific pathogen or agent is formally identified.
“If something like that is seen, the sooner you know it, the earlier you can put a ring around the potential exposed risk and try to protect your first responders and battle buddies in the hospital,” Rahangdale said.
The training walked personnel through the full lifecycle of an incident: initial threat detection, personal protective equipment protocols, patient isolation, decontamination, and safe movement within the facility.
When potentially exposed casualties arrive at the emergency room, Winn’s patient decontamination team serves as the primary barrier against facility-wide cross-contamination. 1st Lt. Mitchell Orem, a registered dietitian and officer in charge of the decontamination team, noted that immediate readiness is vital to keeping both the hospital and the surrounding installation safe.
“So the process is to set up, treat, and prevent. Why do you need to know this? Why do we need to know this? Because we’re going to be the point of contact,” Orem said. “If there was any type of incident that happens and they’re going to be coming to us, we have to be prepared for whatever situation gets thrown at us.”
Decontaminating casualties prior to emergency room entry safeguards non-exposed patients and hospital staff, creating a secure boundary between an incident site and the greater military post.
“Say an incident occurs, they come here, we’re going to be the prime team to decontaminate, treat, send the people through the E.R. for them to get further evaluation and then prevent this from spreading to the community and outside for Stewart,” Orem said.
Beyond tactical decontamination, the course examined how medical response integrates into broader command-and-control frameworks, including managing operations through the hospital command center, establishing alternate care sites, and reviewing Winn’s Emergency Action Plan.
Brian Kolodziej, a Winn emergency management specialist, explained that the training connects tactical triage directly to facility leadership.
“They tie in multiple ways from the patient decontamination team response through the management of the incident site from the hospital command center,” Kolodziej said. “Additionally, it provides a framework for us to identify alternate care sites. And finally, a review of our current Emergency Action Plan regarding patient decontamination.”
Establishing alternate care sites ensures the hospital can process high volumes of casualties without compromising daily clinical operations.
“This opportunity allows us to prepare for biological casualties from the point of injury through pre-hospital EMS, triage, treatment, and transport to our emergency room for continuity of care and minimize collateral casualties,” said Winn emergency management personnel. “With the identification of alternate care sites to best protect our community from cross-contamination, etc.”
By refining these procedures against current USAMRIID standards, Winn ACH reinforces its dual role as both a daily healthcare provider and a fortified shield for Fort Stewart's Soldiers, families, and surrounding communities when every second counts.