Courtesy Photo | U.S. service members receive hands-on training of the Ebola virus and proper...... read more read more
MONROVIA, Liberia - Last fall, the hype surrounding the Ebola virus and the devastation it brought to West Africa was at its peak. In the midst of it all, Staff Sgt. Alysha Waite found out she was selected to be part of a team that would soon deploy to the center of all the hype--Liberia.
"I had two weeks, two weeks from when I was notified to when I got on a plane headed to Liberia," said Waite. "I was nervous, as I'm sure many would be, when I heard I was going to deploy- I didn't know much about what was going on aside from what was advertised on the news."
Waite, a dermatology medical technician from the 59th Medical Wing, served as part of a 100-person team comprised of Air Force, Army and Navy service members from various health care professions and support functions throughout the country.
A total of 12 Airmen and Soldiers from Joint Base San Antonio were tasked to deploy.
While in Liberia, the team's mission was to train health care workers and other aiding personnel of the virus and proper prevention procedures.
Created and led by the World Health Organization, each training session lasted five days and consisted of classroom instruction and focus groups. Focus groups allowed time for workers to discuss and train specifically for their area of expertise.
According to Waite, although much of their operations were conducted in the city of Monrovia, four mobile teams were created which allowed them to travel through the country to visit some of the smaller, remote villages.
"I was part of a mobile team and we travelled to five remote villages," said Waite. "The mobile team I was part of taught roughly 420 students on the importance of stopping the spread of the Ebola virus and how they can do it."
Over the course of three months, the team educated approximately 1,530 students increasing the Liberian Ebola treatment unit workforce by 31 percent.
Throughout the deployment, the team's safety was paramount.
"We were monitored daily throughout the entire deployment," said Waite. "We had our temperatures taken twice-a-day and prior to leaving the country we were medically screened for signs and symptoms of the virus."
Prior to deployment the team received training at the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center. Upon arriving to Liberia, the team received additional, more in-depth training from the World Health Organization (WHO). Although the training covered much of the same information, Waite notes a distinct difference between the two--location.
"Pre-deployment training covered the basics of the virus; we learned what the virus is, how it spreads and how to keep it from spreading," said Waite. "The biggest difference with the World Health Organization training was that it was in country and we were learning things based on the real world situation."
Today, Waite is back at the 59th MDW with some lessons learned and unforgettable experiences that will last a lifetime.
"This experience was very rewarding but more importantly a great learning experience," said Waite. "I learned a lot from my team and also the Liberian health care workers. I saw so much compassion and pride not just for the work and the mission, but for the people. I think everyone in the medical field, regardless of your medical or personal background, can appreciate and learn from that."
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2015 11:53 |
| Story ID: | 160814 |
| Location: | MONROVIA, LR |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 59th MDW Airman returns from deployment to Liberia, by MSgt Jerilyn Quintanilla, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
