Technologist
10-29-2003, 09:39 AM
Here is the link, in case someone wants to check it themselves...
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5343
No segregation in treatment at Fort Stewart
By Sgt. Raymond Piper
October 23, 2003
FORT STEWART, Ga. (Army News Service, Oct. 23, 2003) -- Many of the mobilized Reservist and National Guard Soldiers on medical hold have made their voices heard about the medical treatment they have received on active duty and the barracks they live in.
There are 740 Soldiers in the medical hold battalion at Fort Stewart, Ga., of which 633 have a medical condition; 213 had a illness or injury identified during the deployment screening process, 405 of these Soldiers deployed and returned with an illness or injury and 15 were injured in theater.
Some of the Soldiers have claimed they are not getting the proper treatment, or are put at the bottom of the list for treatment.
The Department of Defense has mobilized almost 200,000 Reserve and National Guard Soldiers. Less than two percent of those Soldiers are in a medical hold status.
Pfc. Matthew Conner, 122nd Engineer Battalion, a South Carolina National Guard unit, said he and a staff sergeant were talking about the order of precedence for medical care, in which the National Guard and Reserve come last.
Although the perception among many of the Reserve and Guard Soldiers is of this hierarchy, Col. John M. Kidd, Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield garrison commander, said, “The Army provides all of its Soldiers the best medical care available. Every Soldier is given equal access to the full spectrum of health care.
“There is no segregation in treatment or the way we deal with Soldiers on this post. There is no priority given to active, National Guard or Reserve Soldiers — sick or injured Soldiers are sick or injured Soldiers,” Kidd said.
Spc. Timothy Smith, who works in the orthopedic clinic and is a medical hold himself, said he feels all of the doctors take their code seriously.
He added, “I know the providers are double and triple booked, but they are doing the best they can.”
“We provide first class medical care to all of our Soldiers and they deserve and receive equal care,” said Col. Joe Barthel, Winn Army Community Hospital commander.
“If they have issues, we a have dedicated medical staff to meet their needs. It’s a total team effort between the medical hold battalion and the medical staff to provide care.”
According to Barthel the medical care the Army provides exceeds the private sector because the military is able to take advantage of the facilities it has at other installations, but is also able to refer patients to civilian specialists if needed.
Barthel said the Army’s policy is that if a Soldier was hurt while on active duty, they won’t be sent home until the problem has been fixed and the Soldier rehabilitated.
If the problem is fixed, the Soldier may deploy to where his unit is or if in a nondeployable status will remain at the mobilization station until either his one-year activation is over or his unit redeploys.
The other major complaints Reservists and National Guard Soldiers have made is the barracks they stay in at the Georgia National Guard training site.
Kidd described the barracks the Soldiers were living in as “Spartan” and with “certainly no frills but they are clean and sanitary.”
“The facilities are adequate, but they are not the best we would like to have,” he said. “We would like to do better and we have a number of initiatives where we are trying to convert these barracks to better conditions. We have added air conditioning to a lot of them. These barracks were not designed for climate control other than heat. We have spent a great deal of time to try and fix that.”
The facilities were designed for annual training for the National Guard. Many of the barracks are without air conditioning and some of the latrines are in separate buildings.
“The barracks we have are the best we have and we are doing the best we can with what we have. Most of the Soldiers recognize that. They would like to see improved conditions, just like we would, and we are going to do the best we can to try and provide that to Soldiers,” Kidd said.
Smith said, his barracks are well maintained and air-conditioned.
“I really have no complaint about the living conditions here, but I know on the other side of post where there are more National Guard and Reservist it is challenging. I came from that side and it was tough, but here it’s not bad.”
One of the biggest complaints in the barracks is the lack of privacy among the Soldiers, both in sleeping areas and latrines.
A third of the Soldiers on medical hold are staying in the improved barracks that have air conditioning and internal latrines.
“We put the most difficult cases in there, especially those with ambulatory problems. Wounded Soldiers are given a little better conditions because their condition requires them,” Kidd said.
As a major mobilization station, Fort Stewart has processed more than 18,000 Reserve and National Guard Soldiers preparing for deployment.
(Editor’s note: Sgt. Raymond Piper is a journalist with the 3rd Inf. Div. (Mech.) Public Affairs Office.)
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5343
No segregation in treatment at Fort Stewart
By Sgt. Raymond Piper
October 23, 2003
FORT STEWART, Ga. (Army News Service, Oct. 23, 2003) -- Many of the mobilized Reservist and National Guard Soldiers on medical hold have made their voices heard about the medical treatment they have received on active duty and the barracks they live in.
There are 740 Soldiers in the medical hold battalion at Fort Stewart, Ga., of which 633 have a medical condition; 213 had a illness or injury identified during the deployment screening process, 405 of these Soldiers deployed and returned with an illness or injury and 15 were injured in theater.
Some of the Soldiers have claimed they are not getting the proper treatment, or are put at the bottom of the list for treatment.
The Department of Defense has mobilized almost 200,000 Reserve and National Guard Soldiers. Less than two percent of those Soldiers are in a medical hold status.
Pfc. Matthew Conner, 122nd Engineer Battalion, a South Carolina National Guard unit, said he and a staff sergeant were talking about the order of precedence for medical care, in which the National Guard and Reserve come last.
Although the perception among many of the Reserve and Guard Soldiers is of this hierarchy, Col. John M. Kidd, Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield garrison commander, said, “The Army provides all of its Soldiers the best medical care available. Every Soldier is given equal access to the full spectrum of health care.
“There is no segregation in treatment or the way we deal with Soldiers on this post. There is no priority given to active, National Guard or Reserve Soldiers — sick or injured Soldiers are sick or injured Soldiers,” Kidd said.
Spc. Timothy Smith, who works in the orthopedic clinic and is a medical hold himself, said he feels all of the doctors take their code seriously.
He added, “I know the providers are double and triple booked, but they are doing the best they can.”
“We provide first class medical care to all of our Soldiers and they deserve and receive equal care,” said Col. Joe Barthel, Winn Army Community Hospital commander.
“If they have issues, we a have dedicated medical staff to meet their needs. It’s a total team effort between the medical hold battalion and the medical staff to provide care.”
According to Barthel the medical care the Army provides exceeds the private sector because the military is able to take advantage of the facilities it has at other installations, but is also able to refer patients to civilian specialists if needed.
Barthel said the Army’s policy is that if a Soldier was hurt while on active duty, they won’t be sent home until the problem has been fixed and the Soldier rehabilitated.
If the problem is fixed, the Soldier may deploy to where his unit is or if in a nondeployable status will remain at the mobilization station until either his one-year activation is over or his unit redeploys.
The other major complaints Reservists and National Guard Soldiers have made is the barracks they stay in at the Georgia National Guard training site.
Kidd described the barracks the Soldiers were living in as “Spartan” and with “certainly no frills but they are clean and sanitary.”
“The facilities are adequate, but they are not the best we would like to have,” he said. “We would like to do better and we have a number of initiatives where we are trying to convert these barracks to better conditions. We have added air conditioning to a lot of them. These barracks were not designed for climate control other than heat. We have spent a great deal of time to try and fix that.”
The facilities were designed for annual training for the National Guard. Many of the barracks are without air conditioning and some of the latrines are in separate buildings.
“The barracks we have are the best we have and we are doing the best we can with what we have. Most of the Soldiers recognize that. They would like to see improved conditions, just like we would, and we are going to do the best we can to try and provide that to Soldiers,” Kidd said.
Smith said, his barracks are well maintained and air-conditioned.
“I really have no complaint about the living conditions here, but I know on the other side of post where there are more National Guard and Reservist it is challenging. I came from that side and it was tough, but here it’s not bad.”
One of the biggest complaints in the barracks is the lack of privacy among the Soldiers, both in sleeping areas and latrines.
A third of the Soldiers on medical hold are staying in the improved barracks that have air conditioning and internal latrines.
“We put the most difficult cases in there, especially those with ambulatory problems. Wounded Soldiers are given a little better conditions because their condition requires them,” Kidd said.
As a major mobilization station, Fort Stewart has processed more than 18,000 Reserve and National Guard Soldiers preparing for deployment.
(Editor’s note: Sgt. Raymond Piper is a journalist with the 3rd Inf. Div. (Mech.) Public Affairs Office.)