U.S., Iraqis Provide Healthcare to Anbar Town

1st Brigade, 82d Airborne Division Public Affairs Office

June 9, 2010 - U.S. Army and Iraqi medical professionals teamed up to provide a health clinic for the residents of Kubaysah, Iraq, June 3. American medics from the 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, joined local Iraqi doctors to assess and treat nearly 400 of Kubaysah's 20,000 residents during the one-day clinic.

Army Capt. Kenneth Brodie, a physician assistant with 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, was generally pleased with the clinic.

"We were able to treat acute-type situations – dermatological rashes, ear infections - those kinds of things that we could treat with antibiotics and analgesics," he said.

First Lt. Jessica Larson, a physician assistant with 307th Brigade Support Battalion, said she and her female Army medics treated many cases of menstrual cramping and arthritis among women. Some children were found to be suffering from strep throat, diarrhea and eczema problems associated with poor water quality.

Kubaysah's water is pumped in from the Euphrates River in Hit, but power issues often limit the amount of potable water available to townspeople, the town's mayor said. Like many nearby towns, Kubaysah gets power from Haditha Dam, which currently has only one of six turbines in use.

"There are a lot of chronic issues that we're not able to address," Larson said. "Obviously, there's difficulty in turning people away and telling them that we're not able to help them. Then there's the reaction when you are able to help someone; you can see the appreciation on their faces.

"One of the most satisfying things is when we are able to educate them on what's going on with their bodies; a simple fix," she added.