Servicemembers assist in Honduran medical emergency

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. John Asselin
  • Joint Task Force-Bravo Public Affairs
SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras (AFPN) --  Joint Task Force-Bravo members here assisted a Honduran hospital after a civilian truck transporting approximately 30 people rolled over Feb. 26 outside Comayagua, Honduras.

Four patients were transported from Hospital Santa Teresa in Comayagua to Soto Cano Air Base by the JTF-Bravo Medical Element team.

They were stabilized and then three were transported by a U.S. helicopter and one by a Honduran helicopter to Hospital Esceula in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

A JTF-Bravo Medical Element surgical team partnering with civilian surgeons in the Comayagua area learned of the accident and immediately went to the hospital to assist. 

The American servicemembers arrived at the hospital and assisted with the mass casualty triage, said Maj. Susan Perry, a JTF-Bravo Medical Element nurse anesthetist.

"When we got to the hospital, there were patients, plus family and media everywhere," she said. "Because of the sheer volume of injured (people), we didn't know who had been triaged, so we started at one end of the hall and worked our way down assisting the (Honduran) hospital staff with assessing the patients."

Two JTF-Bravo Medical Element ambulances with crews were dispatched from Soto Cano AB to assist with triage and transport patients.

After working with the Honduran military and local hospital staff, JTF-Bravo Medical Element and Honduran ambulance crews transported four patients to Soto Cano AB to prepare them for air evacuation to the hospital in Tegucigalpa.

As soon as the initial call came in, JTF-Bravo Medical Element staff members began assembling and preparing the hospital to receive the patients.

"We weren't sure exactly how many patients we would be receiving," said 2nd Lt. Zachery Kalinauskas, a JTF-Bravo Medical Element registered nurse. "So we activated the entire staff to prepare for the worst case. Once the patients began arriving, the team responded superbly and everything worked exactly the way it should."

"The teamwork was phenomenal," said Army Lt. Col. Michael Hancewicz, the JTF-Bravo Medical Element deputy commander. "The medics, the nurses, the X-ray techs, the lab techs and providers worked smoothly and seamlessly on each patient to ensure each were stabilized and ready for transport. Due to the cooperative efforts of both Honduran and U.S. professionals, and the expeditious treatment and care provided, all patients successfully arrived in Tegucigalpa."

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