AT a meeting with the press on July 13, Lt. Col. Kristin Porter said the U.S. military’s Innovative Readiness Training-Wellness Mission 2023 is receiving additional support, which will enable the free medical services to continue into next week. Porter is the mission’s public affairs officer.
Porter said the mission’s partners in the Air Force are “sending additional team members to Saipan for equipment reset prior to transport to the next IRT mission, which is in Guam at the end of the month, allowing us to maintain services on Saipan until July 19 and on Tinian and Rota until July 18.”
The Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs earlier stated that there would be a mission date on Tinian and Rota until July 19, and on Saipan until the 20th, but that has subsequently been revised.
According to the Facebook page of the 807th Medical Command, the military partner of the wellness mission, 274 patients were seen on July 12 on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, with a total of 1,068 services rendered. Of the over 1,000 services, 50 patients sought medical treatment; five, behavioral health services; 268, dental services; and 523, optometry services.
Porter said the services rendered would have been valued at over $100,000, but come at no cost to patients or the CNMI.
Vanessa Abella, a community member, said she completed a medical checkup on July 13, and would be back today, July 14 for dental work.
“This is an opportunity because we don’t have insurance,” Abella said. “We’re here for a physical checkup and everything.”
Abella arrived at American Memorial Park for patient check-in around 8:30 a.m., and was transported to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s Medical Care and Treatment Site via shuttle after waiting for two minutes. There, she was able to see a doctor after waiting for 10 minutes. She was then shuttled back to American Memorial Park.
Paulina Garcia was with her son, JP Garcia, and was grateful that she could see medical personnel at no cost.
“We know that we really need this especially because [presumptive Medicaid] is done,” Paulina Garcia said. “I’m done with my medical checkup and my eyes. So I went home and picked up my son because Medicaid doesn’t cover his eyeglasses.”
Paulina Garcia, who does not have insurance, said the wellness mission’s procedures were “snappy, from registration to CHCC…. It doesn’t take long….”
She noted that many patients were seeking dental treatment.
Daisy Babauta, who was registering patients, said free dental services were in high demand.
“Dental is the one that gets full really fast,” she added. “Today at around 9 a.m. we filled up the [number of allotted patients].”
Babauta’s colleague, Michelle Takai, said there is also a difference in the number of patients seeking services in the morning compared to the patients in the afternoon.
“In the afternoon it’s a little slower than the morning,” Takai said. “The morning is when we’re in a rush.”
The wellness mission began on July 12.
Porter said patients can influence what services will be offered at a potential future wellness mission in 2024. She asks all patients to go to bit.ly/3XJAW2E to fill out the evaluation survey and indicate which medical services that are not available in the 2023 mission could be offered next year.
Medical staff prepare dental tools for the Innovative Readiness Training-Wellness Mission 2023 on Saipan.
A medical staff member attends to an optometry patient.
Lt. Col. Carlo McCalla waits for his next patient.
Vanessa Abella did not have to wait long to be seen by medical staff on July 13.
Daisy Babauta and Michelle Takai registered patients at American Memorial Park.
JP Garcia with his mother, Paulina Garcia, who said she received “snappy” medical service on July 13.
Registration occurs daily at the American Memorial Park softball field. Wellness Mission organizers request that patients do not go straight to Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.
