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Medics teach skills to Afghans, care for Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Melissa B. White
  • 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  The two physicians assigned to the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Clinic are making their first visit to the Afghan Air Force on base to teach their medics some basic medical skills Aug. 25.

"They know how to fly, no doubt, but we just want to work with their medical folks to help them maximize their care in flight," said Maj. (Dr.) Joshua Hodge, 451st AEW Clinic family physician.

At first, the physicians will help them with how to prepare and transport patients in flight to get them to advanced care, but Major Hodge hopes for this to be a continuous experience. They plan to visit them twice a month for a few hours at a time for the remainder of their rotations, hoping it will continue on with their replacements.

"It's great. All you hear about is COIN (counterinsurgency) and it's great to be part of that mission and directly impact the future of Afghanistan," said Major Hodge.

In addition to their new goal of helping the Afghan Air Force, the clinic staff also cares for the Air Force's most valuable asset at Kandahar Airfield: its Airmen.

The team of two physicians and five medical Airmen is ready to assist with acute and chronic care, immunizations, acupuncture and records management for the 451st AEW Airmen and any of the flying squadrons here who don't have a flight surgeon, including some U.S Army and Royal Air Force members.

"Our goal here is to provide convenient, quality care to Airmen and to keep the volume down at the Role 3 Clinic as much as possible so the people there can focus on their trauma patients," said Major Hodge.

The members at the clinic usually see a flow of about 20 to 30 patients a day, but are prepared for much more if necessary. If a mass casualty event would occur, the Airmen are prepared to take patients in to triage them and provide basic trauma care as they await transportation to the Role 3 Clinic.

In addition to caring for the sick and wounded, there is also a bioenvironmental engineering section that works to prevent medical issues from some workplace hazards.

"We're responsible for the occupational health and industrial hygiene of our Air Force people," said Tech. Sgt. James Glickman, 451st AEW Clinic bioenvironmental engineering craftsman. "We're recording potential exposure while deployed to ensure safety, health and proper documentation."