June 14 was the final day of medical services performed by U.S. military medical personnel which included the 110th Medical Group (Michigan Air National Guard), 179th Medical Group (Ohio Air National Guard), U.S. Public Health officers, and other units, for the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) mission. Many thanks to the U.S. Department of Defense and those involved in the decision-making process for approving this valuable service for the Birchwood ,Tn.
area and the surrounding counties for the year 2022.
Some final statistics from this mission (totals from the Birchwood Community Center and the Rhea Middle School site) are:
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Number of patients seen
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1,579
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Dollar amount of medical savings to the local communities
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$658,650.00
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Number of tooth extractions
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619
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Number of eye glasses provided
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700
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Total value of eye glasses provided (in addition to above savings)
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$118,000.00
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Number of procedures done (all services)
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7,111
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We want to thank the 130 military personnel for the ten straight days of professional services they provided, all the while maintaining an extremely cheerful and friendly attitude. In addition to the medical personnel (and in order to set-up a medical clinic), they also brought military personnel who are proficient in logistics, cooking, communications, administration, security, etc. Also, in addition to their medical services, these persons spent time with some of our teenage volunteers to teach them skills in CPR, taking vital signs, sutures, etc. They re-wired the Birchwood Community Center system to enable WiFi services to be used. They set-up a tv area for small children to watch cartoons while their parents were waiting to be seen by the doctors. We can’t say enough positive things about these people and how they have helped the residents of Rhea, Meigs and Hamilton counties.
The extremely positive feedback we have received from the patients was astounding.
Many thanks go to Sylvia Beavers (President of BASIC) and Linda Wright (Vice-President of BASIC) who were in charge of the Birchwood site building and helping the military with anything building-related. Thanks also to Mr. Harold (Bo) McCawley who graciously accepted the lead for the Rhea County Middle School site.
Jerry Wilson