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***image1***(Editor’s note: Third in a three-part series highlighting the 435th CASF)
The 435th Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility has three scheduled outbound missions a week that provide airlift to downrange patients traveling stateside.
The CASF provides operational support for patients from out-bound aeromedical evacuation missions to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Once arriving at Andrews, patients are transported to another medical facility or return to their home station.
“There’s a lot of preparation for the outbound mission, and we start working the day before,” said Capt. Jeanette Petrequin, CASF nurse.
Once patients arrive, CASF personnel in-process them in preparation for their flight to the states. Nurses assess the patients, record vital signs and discuss medications.
“We make sure they can fly without any pain,” said Maj. Susan Smith-Bozkurt, CASF nurse.
Patient movement requests and other paperwork are reviewed to determine how the patients will be affected by the stress of the upcoming flight. The flight surgeons clear all patients and make sure they are medically fit to fly.
One “no go” is eye disorders.
“As you go up in altitude, air expands blood vessels, and it could be dangerous for a patient with an eye injury,” said Capt. Sherman Anderson, CASF nurse.
Spc. Samantha Bates, a 12-year Soldier, spent almost a year in Iraq before being airlifted to the CASF, after recovering from an appendectomy. Her ordeal started after a visit to a troop medical clinic with a stomach ache. Diagnosed with appendicitis, she was moved by helicopter to a nearby Army contingency hospital. After the surgery, the specialist was airlifted to Ramstein where she was cleared for further airlift to the states.
“I’m scared because I’ve been away for a year. I know things have changed,” said Specialist Bates, who is part of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 312th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas, and has a husband and two sons back home. “The people at the CASF were really nice. They listen to you. It’s been a wonderful experience,” she added.
Creating a positive experience for patients requires commitment from an entire team of people working together to accomplish the mission. The 435th CASF supports Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and the European Command.
“Many of our patients have seen horrendous things downrange and experienced psychological trauma,” said Lt. Col. Allan Bushnell, CASF senior flight surgeon. Staying at the CASF gives them an opportunity to begin the healing process before they go home, he said.
