MANSFIELD — Members of the 179th Airlift Wing Medical Group will provide medical services (immunizations) to the public thanks to an agreement with the Ashland and Richland County health departments.
“Our members will be able to go out, work with the health departments, get the training that they need, at the same time assist the health departments when they need surge capability to do immunizations for the populace,” explained Col. Dan Tack, vice wing commander.
Chief Master Sgt. Tom Snyder, medical group superintendent, said there are possibly 24 medical group personnel that could be involved in this partnership, including 17 medical technicians, three nurses and four mid-level providers.
The partnership will provide additional manpower and resources to the health departments at no cost, Snyder said. Additionally, medical group personnel will be able to receive the necessary training in a shorter time frame, he said.
When asked about what kind of immunizations will be provided, Snyder said they’ll start with influenza immunizations.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our rural communities,” said Sarah Humphrey, Ashland County-City Health Department health commissioner. “When we have limited resources and we can partner with other agencies, we can really maximize the benefits on both ends.”
This year-to-year agreement took effect Wednesday morning.
“We’re going to look for opportunities to continue (the agreement),” Tack said. “Today we sign it, formalize it, and then as our members need training, we’ll reach out to the departments and work out the details.
This is the first agreement of its kind in the state of Ohio.
“We’re glad to kick it off,” Tack said. “We’re working with MANCI and other municipalities to come up with other agreements to reach out to the public.”
Over the past year, the 179th Airlift Wing has been working to initiate partnerships that focus on executing mutually beneficial projects between the wing and local communities.
This year’s projects will focus on immunization, blight removal, joint small arms firing ranges and snow removal.
For the Air Force, these training opportunities allow the Air National Guard to work on building stronger communities and become significant community partners. With community partners, the Ohio National Guard can achieve mutual economic goals and interests.
