BRYSON CITY, N.C. -- Active, Guard and Reserve members from the Army, Navy and Air Force are providing no-cost medical care Aug. 2-10 to residents in and around Clay and Swain counties in North Carolina.
Through the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training program, the Total Force military team formed Smoky Mountain Medical and partnered with Clay and Swain County health departments to provide medical, dental and optical screenings to patients at Hayesville and Swain County high schools.
The doors opened at 8 a.m. Aug. 2 at Swain County High School for residents who had been waiting to receive care since 4 a.m. Ninety service members provided residents with medical treatments and screenings, fillings and tooth extractions, eye exams and single-vision prescription glasses.
“There are two main parts of this mission,” said Lt. Col. Dan Naumann, a physician with the 512th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, and officer in charge of the Swain County site’s medical section. “One is for the armed forces to train in a real world non-hostile environment and build teamwork in leadership; the other is to uphold the long standing tradition of the armed forces being good neighbors to communities nationwide by providing quality care and assistance.”
On the first day of clinical operations, Smoky Mountain Medical provided care for 134 residents at the Swain County site. While residents waited to receive care, they received benefits and enrollment resources for Veterans Affairs, Medicaid and Medicare, as well as other healthcare programs and services. The next day, the Swain County location saw an increase of 58 residents, bringing the final count of patients cared for to 192 at closing time.
“Smoky Mountain Medical is bringing additional resources into our community to help those we don’t have the resources to reach,” said Janice Patterson, the Clay County health director. “We have a lot of self-employed small business employers who do not offer healthcare benefits. Unlike what many people think, the uninsured are most often employed hard working people who just can’t afford health insurance or they have a really high insurance deductible they can only meet if they have a major healthcare event with hospitalization.”
Area residents are encouraged to come and receive care, resources and education they normally don’t have access to. The clinics are open 8 a. m to 4 p.m. daily.
“They need what we can provide, said Naumann. “And, it’s neat to give back to a community that has supported (its nation’s military) over the years.”
The IRT program is a military volunteer training opportunity for U.S. service members which addresses public and civil-society needs. It builds beneficial military and civilian partnerships between U.S. communities and the DOD. Smoky Mountain Medical 2017 is one of many IRT programs. More information on the IRT program can be found at www.irt.defense.gov.