Medics perform 3-tier mission in Nangarhar Published June 24, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Stacia Zachary U.S. Air Force Central combat camera team FORWARD OPERATING BASE FINLEY-SHIELDS, Afghanistan -- The medics assigned to the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team boast a three-fold mission here. The medical team is responsible for running an aid station, providing combat support and helping with the ongoing reconstruction efforts in Nangarhar Province. As a recent addition to their responsibilities, the medics are now also tasked with providing assessments of local Afghan medical facilities. "One of our jobs is to conduct clinical care assessments of the medical facilities in the province," said Tech. Sgt. Josh Lackey, a medic deployed from the 59th Medical Operations Squadron from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. "We determine a clinic's ability to provide short- and long-term care as well as what their immediate and future needs are to continue operating." When the team first arrived at Forward Operating Base Finley-Shields, they realized that the mission required them to start from scratch and build relationships with the local Afghans, gather resources and pinpoint the locations of the medical facilities within the province. "We started from ground zero," said Capt. Mike Millis, a Nangarhar PRT physician deployed from the 30th Medical Group at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. "I got the direction on what we needed to accomplish and the medics did all the heavy lifting to make sure the mission's completed." "One of the biggest challenges we've experienced while trying to conduct the assessments is finding the clinics themselves," said Tech. Sgt. Kyle Baker, a medic deployed from the 21st Medical Operations Squadron at Peterson AFB, Colo. The PRT security forces personnel are responsible for choosing the routes and confirming the grid locations. "The SECFOR do the lion's share of planning to get us to the medical sites," Captain Millis said. Many times, though, the identified locations are inaccurate causing the team to rely on other resources. The convoys will travel to district centers where they will receive an escort from either the Afghan National Police or the Afghan National Army and have a local resident direct them to the site. "The grid coordinates have been accurate half the time, so we take extra precautions to get local help," Sergeant Baker said. "Other times we have local nationals who work for the PRT check the grid coordinates and do a site confirmation for us." Once the medics arrive at the clinics, they determine the level of care that the Afghan doctors, nurses and midwives are able to provide. They also check availability of medical supplies as well as accessibility to water and electricity. "We find them and then fix them so the clinics can get online and treat patients," Sergeant Lackey said. Working with the PRT, the medics are able to determine if additional improvements to the facilities are needed. Another concern is ensuring the medical facilities have the proper amount of security. If not, they recommend a security wall be constructed around the medical facility. "We check to see if they have power, water and a dedicated labor and delivery area," said Senior Airman Rhianna Rasheed, a medic deployed from the 81st Medical Support Group at Keesler AFB, Miss. "The maternal and infant mortality rate in this country is very high so that's an important thing to have." Another function of the clinical care assessments is to gauge how much education Afghans receive on overall health and nutrition. Only a few months from the end of their deployment, the team has already successfully completed 75 percent of the clinical care assessments. They have also overcome the daunting task of ensuring every convoy has a medic as well as always having someone to man the aid station. "When we got here, we had to take a station that was minimally stocked with supplies and equipment along with a new mission to complete in addition to our normal duties," Captain Millis said. "The med techs' level of expertise is so varied and yet I have been excited to see each of them progress in their abilities and their confidence." The captain has given his medics a wide berth in order to successfully complete the mission without micromanaging them. "Our captain has given us the ability to serve in a role similar to that of an independent duty medical technician," Sergeant Lackey said. "We've learned a great deal about treating people in the field and in clinic settings on our own, while having the safety net of his oversight." Most deployments for medical technicians are four or six months to well-established bases with hardened facilities that have the highest level of medical equipment available to them. In this role; however, they are relegated to more austere conditions that not only require them to provide preventative medicine, but also emergency medical care in the field. "This is the most expanded role a medic will have," Sergeant Lackey said. "You're responsible for the same people you rely on. It's a huge responsibility." This deployment has given the team a greater sense of pride in both their jobs and their service. For Sergeant Baker, this deployment has created a greater sense of patriotism. "I never intended on being in honor guard, but now I am looking forward to it," he said. "Working so closely with other people who wear the uniform, who are on the front lines and putting what we train for to use has made me very proud to be a medic serving in the military. I want to share that."