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Navy's First Expeditionary Medical Unit Deploys to Djibouti

Navy Newsstand

Story Number: NNS031007-10

Release Date: 10/7/2003 12:37:00 PM

By Lt. Richard Schulz, Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Public Affairs

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (NNS) -- The Navy's first Expeditionary Medical Unit (EMU) deployed here Sept. 14 to provide expanded medical care to personnel supporting Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.

The new services provided by the EMU, Level II and III care, include expanded sick call hours, casualty receiving, an intensive care/medical-surgical unit, operating room, laboratory and radiology.

Army medics have been providing Level I basic medical care to coalition forces aboard Camp Lemonier since beginning operations in the region. Working in tandem with the Army, a Navy Emergency Medical Surgical Team (NEMST), comprised of surgeons, nurses and corpsmen have been in place for the past year, supplementing care at the local French Military Hospital for urgent surgery and contingency purposes in the event of a mass casualty.

However, with the ever-persistent growth of the camp, the need for a higher level of medical care was identified, and Fleet Hospital Jacksonville answered this need with the EMU.

The commanding officer of Fleet Hospital Jacksonville, Capt. Bill Kinney, led an advance party to Djibouti Sept. 2 to lay the foundation for the EMU.

"The purpose of the advance party was to do the groundwork at the proposed EMU site, make preparations to receive the main body and supplies, and to establish positive working relations aboard the base," Kinney explained.

Five days after the arrival of the EMU's main body, the facility was ready to see patients. The entire staff of the EMU worked hard, and 88 pallets of material were staged for present use or inventoried for future capability.

"So far, our mission has been an unqualified success. We are providing all base care and assumed the mission of the NEMST at the French Military Hospital by the end of our first week in country," Kinney said.

The original timeline in assuming base care, and that provided at Bouffard Hospital, was several weeks. However, with the rapid response of the base to a variety of support issues, the new medical team was able to cut the transition time from weeks to days, even as work progresses in bringing up the Laboratory, X-ray and Surgical Departments. The facility now has a wide array of bedside patient monitoring equipment and a six-bed intensive care unit.

"The support of everyone on the base has been very positive, and the transition of care from the Army to the Navy could not have been smoother," Kinney said.

The EMU is also providing specialty consultation services in Orthopedics, General Surgery, Sports Medicine, Hand Surgery and Internal Medicine. This significantly expands medical care to those who might not otherwise have access to these specialists, prevent needless MEDEVACs [medical evacuations] out of theatre, and directly translates to quicker recovery for injured or ill personnel.

The medical care provided by the Navy team will undergo several transitions in the next three to six months. The current site will transition from tents to a permanent facility to be named the Michaud Medical Clinic in honor of a fallen Marine. This facility, which is currently under construction, will be built in two phases to provide uninterrupted continuity of care. In the event that current medical abilities are exceeded or more definitive care is required, the Air Force has a forward medical team to provide air medical evacuations.

"The capability of this AELT [aeromedical evacuation liaison team] is a tremendous complement to the medical facility and a huge asset to the base," Kinney said. "In the event of injury or illness that cannot be treated locally, this team would arrange for a MEDEVAC to a higher level of care, generally Level IV, and be able to send medical personnel with the patient. We are fortunate to have them co-located with us and have already experienced firsthand their invaluable service to the patient."

According to Kinney, the medical presence aboard the base is growing in very beneficial ways. "We want everyone to know whether for prevention or treatment of illness or injury, we'll be there. Force protection is our mission, and we're pleased to bring enhanced care to coalition forces in the Horn of Africa."