Multi-national healthcare team to serve Belizeans near Punta Gorda

Belizean and U.S. medical providers will offer a variety of healthcare services to Belizean people April 28 - May 8 in the Punta Gorda region in Belize.

Basic services provided will include eye screenings, general medicine, pediatric medicine, dental exams and procedures, as well as pharmacy.

"We will be providing adult medical, pediatrics, women's health and minor dentistry during our two-week" medical readiness training exercise, or MEDRETE, said Chief Master Sgt. Tammy Frazier, New Horizons Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron chief enlisted manager. "In addition, we will have a preventative medicine team comprised of public health and bioenvironmental specialists who will provide education and water sampling."

Care will be available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

April 28-29 Dolores
April 28 - May 2 San Antonio
May 1-2 Santa Theresa
May 5-6 Blue Creek
May 5-9 San Antonio
May 8-9 Jalacte

The care is being offered as part of New Horizons medical readiness training exercises, or MEDRETES, in support of U.S. and Belizean partnership opportunities.

"This is a unique opportunity for our medics to provide much needed care to the most medically remote villages," Frazier said. It will also offer the U.S. medics an opportunity to operate with their Belizean counterparts.

New Horizons is a multi-faceted, international exercise geared toward providing mutual training opportunities between host nation and U.S. service members while assisting the host nation population in various capacities. Specifically, New Horizons Belize 2014 encompasses Belizean, Canadian and U.S. medical professionals operating in numerous medical readiness training exercises throughout the country. The exercise also involves Belize Defence Force and U.S. military civil engineers constructing five school facilities and one medical care facility.

"This allows us to utilize and enhance our medical skills in an environment that we don't see every day," Frazier said. "It's a win-win situation for all of us."

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