This month, Marines and sailors from Marine Forces Reserve based in New Orleans and other service members assigned to New Mexico, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Air National Guard units are working together to provide medical, dental and optometry care to residents in the Saint John, Baptist, Tangipahoa and Assumption parishes of Louisiana, officials said.
The 2017 Louisiana Care Innovative Readiness Training team will provide aid at no cost to patients during this year’s exercise that commenced yesterday and concludes July 24.
Federal, State, Local Partnership
Through a partnership with the Defense Department and the military’s National Guard and reserve forces, the Delta Regional Authority hosts the Innovative Readiness Training program in Delta communities each year to bring medical, dental, and optical care to residents that are uninsured or underinsured and in need of quality health care at no cost to the patients, according to the DRA’s website.
“The whole program is no cost to the community and it is allowing us to have our own hands-on training,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Cynthia Thomas, the mission noncommissioned officer-in-charge with the Air National Guard’s 102nd Medical Group based in Otis, Massachusetts.
“We’re working with Delta Regional authorities and the reward at the end of the day is helping fellow Americans. That is why a lot of us joined the medical service,” she added.
Realistic Training
The teams, which include 100 service members at East Saint John High School, 78 in Tangipahoa and 72 in Assumption, will also conduct mission training and logistical movements to simulate military and civilian humanitarian operations and health care delivery in times of crises, conflict and disaster.
“Doing this type of exercise gives us realistic training on how to deploy a large amount of people from all over the country into one region. And, it gives us that practice in case of a natural disaster or humanitarian mission,” Thomas said.
“Because of this,” she added, “we are able to provide dental, medical and optometry care with no cost to the community.”