SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii " A new facility opened for the 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment. Command. Medics began seeing patients at a new brigade aid station, here, May 12.
“It has been a very long process,” said 2nd Lt. Christopher Foster, medical platoon leader and battalion medical officer, 45th Special Troops Battalion, 45th Sust. Bde. “(We had) been working since November to find a good location that met our space and privacy requirements.
The medics looked at several locations before deciding on the space in 303rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, Foster said.
“We are very well set up,” he said. “The large area allows for patient privacy and plenty of storage space for supplies.
“Being on the ground floor was a major selling point for this location,” Foster said. “It provides easy access for not only injured Soldiers, but also the ambulance, if we have an emergency situation.”
The building has classroom space available for training, something the medics did not have available in their previous location, Foster explained.
“Today went pretty (smoothly),” said Spc. Jeremy Franklin, combat medic, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 45th STB, 45th Sustainment. Bde. “Today was our crawl phase. Like anything new, you find a few kinks when you first start out. (But,) I think we had things planned out pretty well before we opened.”
“It’s very fulfilling knowing that we’re coming to work to perform our jobs,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Esparza, senior medic, 45th Sustainment. Bde. “Medical work is a perishable skill, and we are getting a chance to see patients and get used to doing what we were trained to do.
“Today was good training for our younger medics,” Esparza added. “We paired each of our less-experienced guys with an experienced medic, to guide them and help build their confidence. This will translate to a much better ability to respond when we are working downrange.”
Manpower is the biggest issue now, according to Foster, as only one section is covering an entire brigade. Normally, battalions have their own medics.
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