Operation Empower Health-Greater Savannah impacts community, Georgia Southern students

May 21, 2018

Operation Empower Health - Greater Savannah provided no-cost healthcare to 7,942 people and 1,382 pets in need in our region May 10-18. The event not only provided 419 military members with more than 20,047 hours of valuable training, but gave important services, including dental, vision, medical and veterinary care, to those in southeast Georgia who might not otherwise have access. St. Joseph’s/Candler and Georgia Southern University supported the U.S. Military to administer services at four sites in Savannah. According to Lt. Col. Andrew Magnet, 165th Medical Group of the 165th Airlift Wing of the Georgia Air National Guard, the mission had an exceptional impact on the community. In total, 23,145 procedures were performed during the mission, 1,551 prescription eyeglass lens were fabricated, and 2,757 veterinary services were given. The value of services provided exceeded $4.5 million. Approximately 85 Georgia Southern University undergraduate and graduate students in the Waters College of Health Professions provided assistance during the event. Volunteer and credit-based opportunities gave them unique hands-on learning experiences. “This is great education for our students,” said Health Informatics Program Coordinator Paula Tillman, DNP. “Some of these students are clinical and some are not, but all of them are somehow related to the healthcare field. Even if they’re in administration or technology, it opens their eyes to the needs of their community and the population at risk that we can impact.” Diagnoses ranged from high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. St. Joseph’s/Candler is coordinating follow-up care for those who need ongoing medical attention. Undergraduate student Brianna Miolonig, a senior in the cardiovascular interventional science program who would like to specialize in pediatric catheterization, loved the one-on-one assistance she was able to provide to locals with healthcare needs. “The patient interaction has been awesome, talking to so many different types of people and hearing their stories,” she said. “The best part has been seeing the patients I saw two days ago and I remember their names. You see how grateful they are for this.” Miolonig also gained professional assurance in the process. “It makes me more confident going into the field I’m going into,” she said. “I felt in my element and it reassured me that I’m going in the right direction.” Savannah’s 165th Airlift Wing was the lead unit of the 82 military units that participated. All branches of the military were involved in this year’s IRT mission including the Army Reserve’s 3d Medical Command out of Atlanta, Multifunctional Medical Battalion out of Savannah, the Navy’s Eyeglasses fabrication unit out of Virginia and the Marine Corps Forces Reserves 4th Dental Battalion out of New Orleans. Key partners in Operation Empower Health were the City of Savannah, Garden City and Savannah State University, all of which provided space for the medical services as well as a place for the troops to bed down and eat. Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) is a U.S. military training opportunity that provides real-life deployment training and readiness for military personnel while addressing public and civil-society needs. The military services have always brought to bear their resources to help meet some of the country’s civil needs. With IRT, the Department of Defense realizes simultaneous benefits from military training and readiness while providing quality services to communities through the U.S.