Peterson medics help village of El Horno, Honduras

Published July 11, 2007
By Tech. Sgt. Sonny Cohrs
JTF-Bravo Public Affairs

EL HORNO, Honduras -- While many Americans were getting ready to celebrate the 4th of July with cookouts, fireworks and family outings, five Airmen from Peterson volunteered their four-day weekend to help those in need.

Maj. Lea Thies, Capt. Kimberly Evans, Capt. Brian Lupfer, Master Sgt. Alvaro Magana, and Senior Airman Heather Lawrence are deployed to the Medical Element at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras.

"It is extremely important for the U.S. military to provide care to the local populace to strengthen ties between the USA and our host nation of Honduras," said Captain Lupfer, one of the physician assistants who participated on the mission. "On a personal level, it is the right thing to do - we all need to do what we can to help the less fortunate."

The Peterson team, along with approximately 40 American and Honduran servicemembers, traveled from the base to the village of El Horno, Honduras, to provide medical care to the locals as part of a Medical Readiness Training Exercise, or MEDRETE.

The village, atop a nearby 5,000-foot tall mountain, is about 15 kilometers east-northeast of the base. To drive there, it takes nearly three hours along a rugged mountain pass, which is sometimes washed out and impassable during the rainy season. For this reason, the team took a seven-minute flight on a UH-60 helicopter instead, maximizing their time and ensuring safe transport of personnel and the 650 pounds of medical supplies.

El Horno, which translates to "the oven," is home to approximately 450 people. Even more people traveled by foot from other villages when they heard the Americans were providing medical care and medicines for them. In two days the team saw 1,072 patients.

Medical services offered included health screenings, preventative medicine, general medical care, dental care, pharmacy services and a cervical cancer screening. Doctors from the Honduran Ministry of Health also attended the MEDRETE and facilitated much of the medical care alongside the American doctors, nurses and technicians.

The patients, who were standing in line before the team even arrived, were first greeted and given a preventative health briefing, which consisted of information on basic food and personal hygiene.

After the preventative medicine class, nurses took a brief medical history and assessed their condition. Children and pregnant females were given priority, along with those who traveled the greatest distance to see the doctors.

Major Thies and Captain Evans were nurses for on the team, and screened and triaged patients. They also provided health education and medication information for the patients.

Of those who needed to see a doctor, many were prescribed medications, most commonly antibiotics, pain relievers, decongestants and antacids.

Aside from the personal satisfaction of helping people in need, the MEDEL team members gained valuable training from this MEDRETE. By visiting such a remote area, they were able to gain first-hand experience, and they're now better prepared to deploy to other regions of Central America for disaster relief and provide humanitarian assistance.

"The people of this village were extremely appreciative of our services," said Major Thies. "This is the type of work that rejuvenates my passion for nursing. We really were able to make a difference in some people's lives."