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By Maj. Stephani Schafer
94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
BRUMAIRE, St. Kitts and Nevis – U.S. and St. Kitts and Nevis officials gathered at Joseph N. France General Hospital to kick off the third phase of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission, March 24, 2025.
LAMAT 25, led by AFSOUTH Surgeon General,is a collaborative effort that brings together Air Force Reserve medical teams and host nation medical professionals to provide medical assistance operations throughout the Lesser Antilles region. The mission not only delivers patient care but also strengthens interoperability, enhances medical readiness and fosters long-term partnerships between U.S. forces and regional healthcare systems.
“We are genuinely excited to participate in this year’s LAMAT mission,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Alvin “AJ” Bradford, 433rd Medical Squadron Commander and Mission Commander for the St. Kitts and Nevis phase. “This is not just an opportunity to provide assistance, it’s a chance to build bridges of knowledge, skills, experiences and friendship between our teams … This collaboration is about mutual learning and growth.”
Working directly with the St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Health and medical directors across the island, U.S. medical teams are supporting care in critical areas without displacing local providers. Side-by-side collaboration ensures a smooth continuation of care even after the mission concludes.
“Last year while LAMAT was here, I came across a gentleman whose son had a hearing problem. So I called our Director of Community Health Screening who was able to schedule the little chap for a hearing assessment,” said Mr. Curtis Martin, Acting Permanent Secretary of the St. Kitts and Nevis Ministry of Health. “He received his screening and the audiologist made him some hearing aids, so he can now hear. This is what LAMAT does for our community.”
More than 60 Reserve Citizen Airmen make up the LAMAT team supporting this phase in St. Kitts and Nevis. Medical specialists across numerous fields—including audiology, dentistry, diabetes education and nutrition, emergency medicine, neonatal and pediatric care, intensive and critical care, pharmacy, physiotherapy, family medicine, and radiology—are embedded within local facilities to deliver care and strengthen capacity.
“In the U.S. we have patients who, we know their medical history, we know what’s going on with them. Over here, though, we have patients where we don’t have their full medical story,” said Capt. Thomas Murph, 433rd Medical Squadron emergency room nurse. “This is a patient population that is very different from what the military trains for. We train for, you know, 17- to 45-year-olds who are in relatively good health. But with these patients we don’t know their history. It’s really different, which is very exciting to be able to learn alongside our host nation providers.”
The mission will also include Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training provided by the U.S. Army’s 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This training will feature classroom instruction and hands-on exercises and includes participants from the St. Kitts and Nevis Defense Force, Coast Guard, local first responders, and U.S. military personnel.
LAMAT operates under the Innovation Readiness Training Program, which allows Reserve Citizen Airmen and National Guard members to meet mobilization readiness requirements while delivering care to underserved global and U.S. communities. These missions offer a powerful opportunity to strengthen expeditionary medical skills and enhance partnerships with allied nations.
The LAMAT 2025 mission continues to move through the region following earlier engagements in Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The next and final phase of the mission is set to take place in Guyana.
For ongoing updates and photos from the LAMAT 2025 mission, visit: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/LAMAT25
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2025 00:07 |
| Story ID: | 493745 |
| Location: | KN |
| Web Views: | 75 |
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