From West Coast to West Africa, Navy Doctor Spans Care World Over

ABOARD USS NASHVILLE, AT SEA

05.28.2009

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class David Holmes  

U.S. Navy           

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USS NASHVILLE, At Sea — Capt. Dennis Amundson understands the importance of secure and functioning healthcare, whether it be in the United States or a world away in Africa.

And giving care in a foreign land such as Africa is no new feat for Amundson. The 37-year veteran's experience runs deep having served aboard USNS Mercy, completed deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and served in humanitarian assistance efforts in Indonesia, Mexico and the Philippines. The seasoned Navy doctor is also a 2006 graduate of San Diego State University where he earned a master's degree in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response.

Additionally, he and his wife help run an orphanage in Uganda catering to children whose mothers have died of AIDS.

When Amundson isn't traveling to distant corners of the Earth, his usual duties take place at San Diego Naval Hospital as a pulmonary/critical care doctor while he serves as staff in the Intensive Care Unit. But for the past three months, he has brought his medical and academic expertise to West and Central Africa while deployed with Africa Partnership Station Nashville as officer-in-charge of the embarked Department of Defense medical and dental team.

Since Amundson and his team's rendezvous with USS Nashville in Sekondi, Ghana, Feb. 20, more than 3,000 patients were seen ranging from simple check-ups to observing or assisting in surgeries alongside local doctors.

"A normal internal medicine specialist sees an average of 2,000- 2,500 patients in a year, and we did that in just two months, often seeing 40-70 patients a day," said Amundson.

Amundson's team, comprised of Army and Navy service members, hit the ground running to overcome varied obstacles such as treating large numbers of patients in local clinics and working through language barriers in the French-speaking African countries.

"None of the team members had done this type of care-giving in Africa except for me," said Amundson. "We were pushed to do a quick start-up and find out what skill sets could be used. We had Petty Officer 2nd Class Sule Abiodum, hospital corpsman, a surgical technician, refracting for eyeglasses and becoming our optometry specialist. We actually gave out more than 800 pairs of glasses during our visits."

Amundson says the knowledge he and his team gained were irreplaceable because of the unique chance to experience first-hand the medical hurdles and triumphs the local care-givers accomplished.

"Altruistically, it's wonderful and medically you learn a lot and you see how other people do business," said Amundson. "You see how [local doctors and nurses] take care of patients with practically nothing. Back in San Diego at the ICU, I have every technology known to man and every sub-specialist I could possibly want, and these guys are taking care of patients with a shoestring and a band-aid [so to speak]...and they save lives. They have their difficulties, but they overcome, and work very hard."

Amundson and his team, along with the crew and staff members of APS Nashville, have made stops in Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. APS's central mission is working with host countries and their militaries to assist the enhancement of maritime safety and security for the continent of Africa. Amundson concurs that this main mission allows the other much needed humanitarian assistance aspects to prosper.

"Seventy-five percent of the world's population lives within 50 miles of a coastline," said Amundson. "Of the mega-urban areas that are growing such as Accra and Dakar, the Navy has the biggest opportunity to engage them in a very robust way. It's all interconnected," said Amundson. "Security is key. If you can establish some form of security and then follow that with basic health care, then we're on the right track to a safer maritime domain and a more secure future for everyone. The whole APS evolution has been a wonderful experience for us, and to be able to be here and do this is truly gratifying."

The APS team, consisting of the USS Nashville crew and an embarked staff of Destroyer Squadron 60 and international maritime professionals, are deployed as part the international APS initiative developed by Naval Forces Europe and Africa. APS Nashville, a Norfolk-based amphibious transport dock ship and largest APS platform to date, is focused on collaborative efforts in West and Central Africa.

To learn more about Africa Partnership Station and its mission, visit the APS website at www.c6f.navy.mil/apshome.html.