KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Brigade medical personnel with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, (Combined Task Force Spartan), hosted a congressional visit led by Tennessee Congressman Phil Roe and escorted by Maj. Gen. Patricia Horoho, Army deputy surgeon general, here Oct. 9.
The delegation consisted of Roe, Rep. Tim Walz, Rep. Dan Benishek and Rep. Jeff Denham, members of the Veterans Affairs Committee, and Rep. Scott DesJarlais of the Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and Workforce and Agriculture committees.
Delegates came to FOB Pasab to see how CTF Spartan operates their medical facilities and treats Soldiers and Afghan civilians.
"Maj. Gen. Horoho … had been here before (and) liked what she saw so much that she wanted to bring the congressional delegation out to see an example of how things could be," said Maj. Brian Egloff, 3rd BCT surgeon.
The visitors received a tour of the facilities, starting with the Spartan Resiliency Center, which is equipped to treat Soldiers struggling with behavioral health issues and help rehabilitate patients with mild traumatic brain injury.
"The resiliency center is a very multidisciplinary approach. There is behavioral health and mTBI rehabilitation all under one roof; it is a central location for patients to sleep, rest, recuperate and (rehabilitate)," Egloff said.
The visitors to the state-of-the-art facility also received information on how many patients have been treated, treatment success rates, and what methods are used at the Spartan Resiliency Center.
After the center, the group toured the Role II clinic, which is equipped to handle minor casualties.^It also contains a dental clinic and a physical therapist, unusual sights in a deployed environment, especially on a FOB, since most deployed units do not have access to extensive medical assets.
Outside the Role II clinic, the brigade surgeon showed visitors the prosthetic leg prototype that was created by welders in 710th Brigade Support Battalion. The prosthetics have already been fitted and given to local amputees, including an 8-year-old boy.
First Lt. Kimberly Duenow, brigade nurse, spoke about Operation Spartan Stork, an initiative led by Spartan medical personnel to educate local women about reducing infant mortality rates.
Before the guests left FOB Pasab, they were shown the "doc-in-a-box," a small medical and dental office in a metal container. The container can be put in a convoy and travel with a doctor or dentist to smaller combat outposts, while treating Soldiers in more remote locations.
The visit not only demonstrated the tremendous job TF Spartan medical personnel are doing, but also set the standard for other military units that will deploy in the future.
"If (we) show the congressional delegation and surgeon general the things we are doing, then programs like that can be mimicked throughout the Army, so other people can benefit from the work we are doing," Egloff said.
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