GRACIAS A DIOS, Honduras –
Servicemembers from Joint Task Force-Bravo's Medical Element began participation in a Medical Readiness Training Exercise in Nueva Jerusalem, Gracias a Dios Department, Honduras on January 27, 2016.
Medical Readiness Training Exercises are an opportunity for service members to receive practical medical training, better preparing them to perform their duties under austere conditions and in remote locations, while providing support to the partner nation's health organizations. For this MEDRETE, the MEDEL team deployed their services in support of the
Honduran Ministry of Health, local military representatives, non-government organization representatives and other volunteers.
Gracias a Dios is a region of Honduras mostly inaccessible without air transportation, meaning these partnership exercises provide the communities there with services that may otherwise be unavailable to them. This joint effort between U.S. service members and Honduran health representatives will aid communities lacking proper health care facilities in the area.
Services provided include an initial health class upon entering the MEDRETE site, intended to help prevent many of common illnesses, such as diarrhea, which can be prevented with basic hygiene measures. Additionally, dental care and extractions and preventative medical care are other services the MEDRETE members offer. Those who attended also receive de-worming medication and vitamins.
Joint Task Force-Bravo routinely conducts MEDRETES in Central American countries, promoting diplomatic relations by partnering with their counterparts in humanitarian assistance exercises and strengthening their own readiness skills and those of the host nation partners.