Medical teams, volunteers help patients during weather-related delays

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Daniel Riley
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --  Airmen from the  375th Aeromedical Staging Flight quickly assembled to receive 44 patients, 22 of them on litters, after an aeromedical flight originating in Germany had to divert Feb. 7, here, because of more than 20 inches of snow in Washington D.C.

These 44 patients joined several others who were already there, pushing the patient count to 51in a facility with 17 rooms designed to hold 40 patients.    

The weather divert came as most people were in the comfort of their living rooms watching the Super Bowl with family and friends. However, more than 30 volunteers from Scott Air Force Base answered the call to help these wounded warriors.

Moving and holding this many patients required the facility to meet requirements never before seen here, said Capt. Liam Aponte, the ASF flight commander.

"With this many patients, there's a need for volunteers," she said. "We put the call out and we got volunteers right away. It was a great team effort."

Volunteers helped carry litters and luggage as well as sort through more than 100 personal items. They were also on hand inside the aeromedical staging facility to assist as needed. Additionally, more than 10 375th Medical Group members volunteered their medical expertise.

Other volunteer organizations provided support as well. Operation Home Front purchased 25 pizzas for the patients, and the Sons of the American Legion and POW/MIA council helped to stock the patient snack area with food and drinks. The ASF team also received aid from the Hope for Heroes Program and the USO.

"At first (volunteering) was just something to do each Saturday, but it quickly turned into more than that as I came to understand what the ASF was all about and as I got to see how it affects our servicemembers," said Army Staff Sgt. Luis Dandrade, assigned to the U.S. Transportation Command. "Now we've expanded our outreach to many other organizations who want to do something for our wounded warriors. It's great to part of this effort."

These weather diverts represent a fraction of the aeromedical missions received by a facility that has transferred more than 9,500 air evacuation patients since 2003. On average they transfer about 1,500 patients a year and about 350 of those are housed overnight in the facility.

"The best thing (about being with the ASF) is the serving," Captain Aponte said. "You work with people at some of the worst times of their lives, and you do everything in your power to make it better."