459th medics bring aid to Benin, SHARED ACCORD 09

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ashley Crawford
  • 459th ARW Public Affairs Office
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md, --  Ten 459th Air Refueling Wing medics are among 400 U.S. military personnel who have begun arriving in Bembereke, Benin to take part in Exercise SHARED ACCORD 09 June 7.

Nine Members of 459th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and one member from the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron are to team up with a battalion of Marines and a hand full of Sailors and Soldiers to bring basic medical care and education to the third world country of Benin, said Col. Michele Williams, 459th AMDS commander.

"Like any third world country there are diseases that we'll be treating that we don't see in the states," said Colonel Williams, "Ninety percent of the people will most likely be infected with malaria, parasites, and in this country, we're preparing to see a lot of skin disorders.

With only 35 percent literacy rate in Benin, pamphlets and medical handouts that would otherwise assist in expeditiously educating large numbers of people will not be a resource on which we can rely, said Colonel Williams.

"Care and person-to-person education is our main focus," said Colonel Williams. "First, our plan is to provide care and education to the projected 1000 patients we are planning to see a day. Secondly, to train the local medical provider, so that what we start, they will be able to take as their own and sustain it."

Local nurses and medical personnel, being fluent in French, require U.S. medics to have translated material on hand and readily useable.

"Beninese medical technicians have translated the entire Air Force Self Aid Buddy Care program, consisting of 200 pages of text, into French," said Colonel Williams. "Also, we translated all of our SABC power point slides so that the Beninese providers, doctors and nurses will have necessary tools for re-education.

The total exercise of general medical care, optometry and dentistry is scheduled to conclude on June 25.

"I want to make sure that we, Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airman, as a total U.S. force provide the best services and care for the people of Benin," said Colonel Williams. "All of our efforts providing these services and education, hopefully, for a sustained relief that will benefit this country long after we are gone."