Sailors Bring Medical Care to Honduran Villages

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ron Kuzlik

Beyond the Horizon Public Affairs

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras (March 31, 2009) –  U.S. Navy personnel from Operational Health Support Unit (OHSU) Dallas, Texas, completed two days of medical services to over 700 villagers in Agua Salada, Honduras, as part of their commitment to Beyond the Horizon 2009 – Honduras.

From March 25 to April 4, the Navy team of 32 Reserve component doctors, nurses, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists and hospital corpsmen are providing general medical care and diagnosis, dental check-ups and extractions, eye exams, prescription services and preventative care lessons to six different villages in rural Honduras.     

“The main purpose of the mission for OHSU Dallas is training: deploying to an austere environment, providing care and redeploying safely,” said Lt. Cmdr. Deborah Greubel, a nurse practitioner overseeing the unit’s efforts in Honduras. 

“In the middle of this deployment, our team touches the hearts and minds of the Honduran people.  In return, they welcome us graciously and share with us their culture and kindness.” 

Medical care is very limited, Greubel said.

“Most of the remote sites we visit here are in great need.  Medical care is sparse, even the most basic of needs are unmet.  Water is a rare commodity, electricity a luxury.  An act as simple as giving a pair of glasses changes tremendously the quality of life of these gracious people.”

“There were a lot of needy people who desperately needed our help,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Roger McCune of Parsons, Kan.  “I’m hoping that what we’re doing here continues to foster a positive image of the United States and our armed forces with the Honduran people.”         

“The people were very appreciative,” said Lt. Cmdr. Matt Ridder, a nurse practitioner from Augusta, Kan.  “You could see it in their faces and all said, ‘Gracias.’ Some even said, ‘Thank you’ in an attempt to speak a little English with us.”     

Operational Health Support Unit (OHSU) Dallas is one of the Navy Reserve’s medical field units.

Like the New Horizons program which began in the mid-1980s, the U.S. Southern Command-sponsored Beyond the Horizon program deploys U.S. military engineers and medical professionals to Caribbean and Central and South American nations for training and to provide humanitarian support.  Missions for 2009 include Colombia, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Honduras, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago.