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Arctic Care brings medical support to Alaskans

  • Published
  • By Maj. Cary McPartlin
  • Operation Arctic Care Public Affairs
Military and Department of Defense senior leaders traveled here to visit Airmen, Soldiers and Sailors participating in Operation Arctic Care 2010.

This operation is the largest recurring joint military medical readiness and logistics training exercise, providing real-world humanitarian assistance and medical care to underserved U.S. citizens in one of the most isolated regions in the United States.

In the first week the OAC team treated more than 900 dental patients, 1100 medical patients, produced over 590 pairs of glasses, and vaccinated more than 550 dogs.

The Air Force Reserve Command has the lead for this year's mission.

"The value of Operation Arctic Care is certainly the direct medical care that is provided to native Alaskans who otherwise would not have the opportunity," said Col. Dominic DeFrancis, the Surgeon General for AFRC. "It is also wonderful training for our (members), because it mimics the type of logistics efforts that we would need to make if we were to take a team to support earthquake relief, including the one that occurred in Haiti, or a tsunami in the South Pacific."

Gen. Gary North, the Pacific Air Forces commander, Robert Smiley, representing the Office of the Secretary of Defense Reserve Affairs and Colonel DeFrancis were among more than 25 distinguished visitors who observed and learned first-hand about OAC.

"Arctic Care demonstrates how our military can design an operation that blends medical and educational skills to help communities," General North said. "I argue that the beneficiaries are not only the communities that are the recipient of the medical care, but also the military participants training and providing that care in austere conditions."

The team toured the Maniilaq Health Center here and had dinner with Kotzebue officials and health center staff April 16. Later, they were entertained by a Native Alaskan dance group at the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center.

Visitors boarded Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and traveled to Selawik and Noorvick, two remote villages in the Northern Arctic Borough, to visit local clinics and meet with the military medical providers, dentists, and veterinarians working in the villages April 17.

"It has been a tremendous experience, both the things we saw at Kotzebue at the medical center there and now in the villages," said Maj. Gen. Eric W. Crabtree, the 4th Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command commander. "And getting a chance to interact with the military people that are out here, see what is happening and the care that they are providing to the villages and the people of Alaska," "It is really a heart-warming experience."

Paul Hansen, the deputy administrator of the Maniilaq Health Center, briefed the visitors about the medical care present in Kotzebue and 11 smaller villages nearby.

He explained each village has a community health aide trained to provide basic care to the village population.

For routine procedures, health aides communicate with doctors in Kotzebue using modern technology including telepharmacy and electronic health record systems. Approximately once a year medical teams from the center travel to the villages. For more serious cases, village residents either travel to Kotzebue or Anchorage for treatment.

Colonel DeFrancis described the AFRC's approach to supporting the local medical care during OAC.

"We scouted out to the different villages and tried to identify the needs of a particular location,' he said. "Then once we put together the staff, they tried to cater to those particular needs. (Local villagers) love to see the optometrist and there is a huge veterinary need at the different villages. Again, we have to remember that very often the opportunity for these people to see a specialist is maybe once a year, and in some of the smaller places may be negligible."

During the visit the guests were also able to experience some of the local culture. At Kotzebue High School, students showcased their strength, agility and mental toughness demonstrating several native youth olympic sport competitions including the one-leg jump, seal crawl and finger pull. The sports were designed to demonstrate the skills required for native Alaskans to hunt and survive in the harsh climate in northern Alaska.

In Selawik, the community provided lunch for the visitors, including caribou stew, turkey, ham, pancakes and several casseroles as a way to thank the military for their service and support. In Noorvik, the distinguished visitors watched a dog sled demonstration and a snow-machine race.