ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. — Twenty Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 107th Attack Wing’s Medical Group, stationed in Niagara Falls, New York, were among 160 joint service members supporting Operation Healthy Ellwood, an Innovation Readiness Training, or IRT, mission, July 23 to Aug. 1.
The Department of Defense-led effort provided free medical, dental, optometry and veterinary services to the residents of Ellwood City. No ID, insurance or income requirements were needed.
According to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the IRT program is designed to bring needed care to underserved American communities while giving military personnel realistic, hands-on training. Service members from the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy participated.
During the 10-day mission, the team conducted more than 3,500 general consultations, 1,255 optometry visits, 836 medical exams and 380 veterinary appointments, said Tech. Sgt. Kimberley Cyna-Capodicasa, a medical technician from Grand Island, New York, assigned to the 107th Attack Wing’s Medical Group.
“The majority of our group was able to accomplish a lot of great training during this time — both for the Air Force and for working in a deployed medical setting,” Cyna-Capodicasa said.
For Col. Nicole Hurley, a command nurse with Air Force Reserve Command, the mission was personal. Hurley grew up in Ellwood City and has seen firsthand the challenges residents face in accessing care.
“Two years ago, I was invited to a distinguished visitors’ event in rural Louisiana,” Hurley said. “As soon as I saw the services being provided, the first thing I thought was, ‘This needs to come to Ellwood City.’”
The town, located north of Pittsburgh in Lawrence County, once thrived on steel mills, quarries and coal mining. But its primary hospital, Ellwood City Medical Center, closed in early 2020 after years of financial struggles.
The facility has remained inactive despite being sold in 2022 to a California-based investment group.
By bringing critical services to the region, Operation Healthy Ellwood temporarily filled the gap while providing Airmen with the opportunity to exercise their expeditionary skills in a real-world environment.
1st Lt. Eric Marburger, acting assistant logistics officer and transportation officer for the mission, also assigned to the 107th Attack Wing’s Medical Group, grew up in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania.
“To be part of a team dedicated to providing service, not only for a community in need, but to the county I grew up in, was extremely rewarding,” Marburger said.