EVENSVILLE, Tenn. - More than 200 service members from the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Navy Reserve and U.S. Air Force Reserve participated in Operation Healthy Tennessee, part of the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training, or IRT, program.
During the July 11-21 mission, they provided no-cost medical, dental, optometry and veterinary services to more than 2,600 residents across Rhea, Bledsoe and surrounding counties.
The IRT program is a unique U.S. Department of Defense initiative that enhances military readiness through hands-on, real-world training while delivering critical services to communities in need.
“This is a great opportunity to not only get services that the community may not be able to afford but they can see what the military provides”, said Cathy Swafford, the community lead for Rhea County. “You can tell that [the military members] just really want to serve their community and give back.”
Operation Healthy Tennessee brought together service members across the joint force, fostering an environment that strengthened readiness while offering services such as medical, dental, optometry, nutrition counseling and veterinary care at no cost by credentialed professionals.
“We are providing a great level of service”, said Maj. Ralph Garcia, the Bledsoe County officer in charge. “It’s a collaborative joint effort to bring resources to underserved communities.”
The mission proved to be a powerful example of the program’s impact, making a strong contribution to the IRT Program.
In just 10 days, two medical clinic locations served 2,000 patients and completed more than 15,000 medical, dental and optometry procedures. The veterinary team treated 677 pets, delivering services valued at $314,465. A specialized optometry team, assigned to the mission as part of a Naval Ophthalmic Readiness Activity, built and distributed more than 770 pairs of glasses for those in need.
The fair market value of all the medical and veterinary services provided totaled $1.9 million.
“Training is such an important part of an IRT”, said Lt. Danielle Lloyd, officer in charge of Operation Healthy Tennessee. “Although we are providing much-needed medical care to this community, at the same time, we are training to make sure we are staying mission-ready.”
The operation logged more than 25,000 training hours across various categories, including readiness, certification, clinic skills, ad-hoc tasks and hands-on training.
IRT missions, such as Operation Healthy Tennessee, often represent a once-in-a-career opportunity, and participants are encouraged to fully embrace the collaborative environment, network with fellow service members and connect with the community members they are caring for to maximize the experience.
“Now that we’ve had our last day of clinical care and we’re able to see the final numbers, it’s such a good feeling to see that we’ve helped so many community members”, Lloyd said. “There’s no better feeling than seeing someone who desperately needed care and being able to provide it at no cost.”