Posted on 06/30/2010 1:26:00 PM PDT by SandRat
DIYALA — U.S. Army medics and doctors recently volunteered to visit the Bakhtiyari Medical Clinic in the neighborhood of Khaniqan here to provide medical care to residents.
A girl demonstrates proper teeth brushing procedures to Capt. Mary Nolan, of Lewiston, Minn, and the preventive medicine officer for 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, during a Military Civilian Medical Operation in the Bakhtiyari neighborhood of Khaniqan, Iraq, June 22, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Adrian Muehe.
Coming together for this Military Civilian Medical Operation (MCMO) were Soldiers from Charlie Company, 296th Brigade Support Battalion; Headquarters Support Battery, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, and Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment.
Throughout the day, approximately 300 people entered the clinic to seek treatment and medicine for ailments ranging from minor aches and pains to more serious injuries or diseases. While these men, women, and children displayed different symptoms, they all share a common background.
“Bakhtiyari is actually made up of a lot of residents who were prior displaced persons in Iran,” said Capt. Nick Shallcross, of Longmont, Colo., the commander of Alpha Troop, 1/14th Cav. “They are all Iraqi, many of whom are Shia, that were kicked out of Iraq by the Saddam regime. They lived in refugee camps in Iran, and then came back to Khaniqan after the fall of Saddam.”
This quarter of Khaniqan was a “tent city” a couple years ago before the refugees began building permanent homes for themselves. This neighborhood also has a Red Crescent center, an Iraqi Police Station and a small clinic, Shallcross said.
“We’ve been planning a MCMO in Bakhtiyari for awhile,” Shallcross said. “We have done three MCMOs in this northern part of our AO [Area of Operation] since January. We identified Bakhtiyari for this because, since they were displaced persons, they don’t get a lot of support and we wanted to help them out.”
Medical personal from the brigade established two private exam rooms to treat minor inflictions and administer medicine.
“We can only treat for acute care issues,” said Capt. Morrie Fanto, commander of HSB, 1/37th FA. “We can treat for pain, common illnesses [such as a cold], and give out medicine. We can also refer more serious cases to the local hospital where hopefully they can get those issues addressed.”
While patients waited to be screened, they received a class on public health by Capt. Mary Nolan, of Lewiston, Minn., the preventive medicine officer for 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, where they learned how washing their hands and brushing their teeth can improve their quality of life.
During the MCMO, clinic workers were walking around with cameras, taking pictures and video of all the excitement happening.
“Ordinarily, we only have a few visitors come in on a daily basis,” said Galib Gafor, the Bakhtiyari Medical Clinic director. “I am very happy about this. I wish this could happen every day.”
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