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ARMY RESERVE TEAMS IN CENTRAL AMERICA FOR MEDICAL EXERCISES.Posted On: Jan 30 2007 3:25PM Two small Army Reserve medical teams are in Central America for a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored Medical Readiness Training Exercises (MEDRETE). One team is in the city of Punta Gorda, Belize, and the other group is in Chiquimula, Guatemala. During the exercises, the two groups will provide free medical exams and treatments to needy people in both cities while working alongside local health care and government officials. Typically, a medical team can treat about 7,000 people during a MEDRETE. The majority of both teams are from the 396th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) based in Washington State. The MEDRETE is giving them the unique opportunity to go through an entire deployment process and treat real patients in the field. Usually, medical training exercises are conducted near home and are simulated. Elsewhere in the region, another U.S. medical team in is in the midst of a MEDRETE in Honduras. Ten Air Force specialists are providing free eye exams and treatments to people in the capital city of Tegucigalpa during a MEDRETE that specializes in ophthalmology. These deployments are just three of more than 60 MEDRETEs U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) is sponsoring in 14 Central, South American and Caribbean nations this fiscal year. Managed by USSOUTHCOM since 1989, the MEDRETE program is one of the premier U.S. engagement efforts in the region. It gives American military health care personnel the opportunity to have a positive impact on thousands of people who may not have had any medical care in years. They’re also one of the military’s more unique and successful training programs, providing invaluable real-world preparation for troops while reaching out to and working alongside partner nations. Annually, the exercise program costs about $4.7 million and includes the participation of approximately 1,900 U.S. personnel who treat more than 200,000 patients and provide veterinary services to more than 60,000 livestock each year. |
