No-cost health care, including dental, medical, eye, mental health and physical therapy are being offered June 4-13 at Birchwood Community Center and Rhea Middle School.
Clinic schedule is 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily
Gates will open to form lines from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Gates may close earlier or later dependent on demand and length of lines.
The outreach is hosted through a partnership between the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training Program, Air National Guard, Army Reserve, active duty Air Force and Navy Reserve and U.S. Public Health Service in partnership with Birchwood Cares Community Center to offer no-cost health care services to individuals living in the counties of Rhea, Meigs and Hamilton. The two locations are Birchwood and Rhea County Middle School operating from June 4-13.
"We are excited as a combined Air, Army, Navy and US Public Health medical team to partner with the Birchwood Community to provide no-cost medical, dental and eye care," said Col Andrew Lee, Internal Medicine/ Pediatric Physician and Mission Commander. "We bring our medical capabilities to serve the community and at the same time receive training which helps to make your military more effective and efficient.”
Col. Lee is the mission commander and 179th Airlift Wing Medical Group Commander while Capt. Francisco Rivera-Hernandez is the officer in charge of the approximately 130-person military medical team serving the community of Birchwood.
During the event, complete eye exams, single lens prescription glasses, dental fillings, extractions, limited cleanings, (no dentures will be available), mental health and physical therapy services, and medical care will be provided.
People are encouraged to bring a bagged lunch and water as food services will not be available. There will be no overnight parking permitted, please arrive no earlier than 7 a.m. to form a line. Services will be provided at no cost to the community on a first come, first serve basis.
Innovative Readiness Training is a Department of Defense military training opportunity, exclusive to the United States and its territories, that delivers joint training opportunities to increase deployment readiness. Simultaneously, IRT provides key services with lasting benefits for American communities. For more information on IRT please visit http://irt.defense.gov or visit Facebook @IRTsWin and Instagram #IRTsWin.
Please be advised during the period of June 4-16, daily traffic on Highway 60 may be impacted near or around the Birchwood Community Center due to the number of people attending this event. Therefore local law enforcement personnel recommend motorists/commuters who are not planning to attend this event seek an alternative route of travel between Hamilton, Rhea, and Bradley counties during this period of time.