BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WBNG) – On Sunday, members of the U.S. Department of Defense’s innovative readiness training team, or IRT, were hard at work preparing for Operation Healthy Broome.
As part of the initiative, service members from the Army, Air Force, and Navy work with community partners to provide health care at no cost to those in need across the country.
From August 11 through the 20th these free health care programs will be available to the public at the SUNY Broome Ice Center.
“We are offering optometry, behavioral health, and we have veterinary, which is at the humane society,” US Army Lieutenant Colonel Kate Cavan said. “We are doing sports physicals for kids age six and up and then general medical screenings for 16 and over.”
Doors will open at 8 a.m., with first-come-first-serve services beginning at 9 a.m.
Some of the services provided will be eye exams and new glasses for optometry patients, behavioral health screenings with social workers, dental work, and more.
This will be Sergeant Katie Delaney’s first time participating with an IRT team.
She said it’s a great opportunity for military members to harness their skills while also uniquely serving the community.
“Every year we go to trainings for readiness and everything, but now we’re in real-world stuff and we’re applying our skills to the community and helping out in the local area,” Delaney told 12 news.
Being able to use what she has learned in training to help others fills her with a sense of pride and duty.
“It puts a little pride in my chest. A lot of us in the military today haven’t deployed,” Delaney said. “A lot of us haven’t had real-world experience. We need to be here today in this community to help provide those services for them.“
According to the Department of Defense’s website, IRT teams provide health care to tens of thousands of patients each year.
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