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Balad AFTH becomes divert base for wounded OEF troops

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Allison M. Boehm
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --  Senior U.S. Air Forces Central Command medical officers have temporarily named Joint Base Balad as the new hub for all aeromedical evacuations following worldwide air travel disruptions caused by thick black ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruptions. The Air Force Theater Hospital received its first four medical evacuation patients here April 17, 2010, U.S. servicemembers and civilian contractors serving in Operation Enduring Freedom who needed specialized medical care.

Flights transporting medically ill and wounded requiring urgent or higher care are normally routed to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. However, due to the volcanic ash plumes over Europe, that is no longer a safe option for military AE missions and routing them through Balad, patients will be able to be moved quickly and safely to Stateside hospitals.

"Bringing together the executive staff and subject matter experts early in the contingency planning, it was clear we had the right expertise to develop and execute a successful plan," said Col. Dennis Beatty, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group deputy commander. "Once the executive team settled on an expansion course of action, the entire hospital staff pitched in and executed the plan within seven hours, optimizing the hospital infrastructure and preparing to take on this crucial mission."

The new mission is bringing the types of combat injuries JBB's medical staff hasn't seen in awhile.

"As we have been drawing down in OIF we have been seeing fewer battle injuries," said Capt. XJ Ethan Moses, 332nd Expeditionary Aeromedical Squadron flight surgeon. "While our numbers have remained steady over the years, the severity of injuries has gone down. We will see a reversal of that as we anticipate receiving more and more battle injuries from Bagram."

The medical staff is preparing for the influx of patients by putting on hold current consolidation efforts to combine medical areas as part of the responsible drawdown efforts at JBB. Now, with the patient load increasing, those efforts are suspended to ensure adequate capabilities and capacity for new arrivals.

Although they have been preparing for the drawdown, the medical staff is geared up for the sudden high-paced operations tempo.

"I feel that we are ready," said Chief Master Sgt. John Elder, 332nd EMDG superintendent. "The Airmen in the medical group really worked hard and increased our expansion capabilities in less than 24 hours. As more patients come in, we will be able to adjust quickly and ensure our troops are taken care of. I am so proud of these Airmen and I am confident we are up for the challenge."

Officials believe Balad's hospital will remain a divert location until normal flights to Germany can be resumed.