Bagram’s New Hospital Nears Completion

Defend America News ^ | Feb 14, 2006 | Sgt. Douglas DeMaio

[SandRat]

A modular unit is lowered into place at the new Bagram Airfield hospital. Seventy-seven modular units were manufactured and assembled in Dubai and delivered here. The units will be used as an emergency unit, intensive care unit and operating room. Courtesy photo
Bagram’s New Hospital Nears Completion
The new hospital, nearly complete with the delivery of new modular units, will increase the level of care available to troops, Afghans and civilian contractors.
By U.S. Army Army Sgt. Douglas DeMaio 20th Public Affairs Detachment BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 14, 2006 — The new Bagram Airfield hospital is nearly complete with the arrival of new modular units delivered here at the end of January. "When an American soldier is injured out at a forward operating base, the evacuation can often stop here instead of having to completely evacuate the patient out of theater." U.S. Army Capt. Autumn Leveridge The U.S. Army Health Facility Planning Agency and the Army Corps of Engineer's Afghanistan Engineer District have been working on the hospital project for 16 months and will soon be able to provide resources that will increase the level of care that servicemembers, Afghans and civilian contractors receive. "The hospital will be a great force multiplier here," said U.S. Army Capt. Autumn Leveridge, chief of medical construction operations. "As a Level-III 'fixed facility' hospital in Afghanistan, the Bagram hospital is a force multiplier for two main reasons. "When an American soldier is injured out at a forward operating base, the evacuation can often stop here instead of having to completely evacuate the patient out of theater," Leveridge said. "This often reduces the time (it takes before) the patient can return to duty; thus, there is less likely a chance you will have to backfill that (servicemember). "The patient care that is provided on Bagram to Afghans increases the positive aspect of public relations with the surrounding communities," she said. The preassembled modular units, which are metal containers, are a key component to the functionality of the hospital, said Army Maj. Chris Hussin, Bagram's area engineer for Afghanistan Engineering District.	"The hospital here on [Bagram Airfield] is a lynchpin for continuing medical care on the base," Hussin said. "The arrival and installation of the modular units gets us one step closer to project completion." A total of 77 modular units were manufactured and assembled in Dubai, Hussin said. The units, that will become key facilities, were then shipped to Karachi, Pakistan, and driven to Afghanistan. "Three crucial sections of the hospital will be in modular units," Leveridge said, "the emergency room, the operating room and intensive care ward." The emergency room will have a four-bay trauma room, two isolation treatment rooms, two regular treatment rooms and a decontamination room, Leveridge said. The operating room will have three operating rooms, an endoscopy room and central materiel sterilization. Shipping the units posed certain obstacles though, said Hussin, who helped track the movement of the modular units. "Transporting the units was challenging in terms of communication," Hussin said. "We knew when the units left Dubai; we knew when they hit the port of Karachi, but once they started their overland transportation, we had no communications with the actual vehicles on the road." The possibility of damage to the units was a concern, Hussin said, but there was minimal damage. The units arrived here several days ahead of schedule, he said. With assistance from entrance control point personnel, Directorate of Public Works and others, the early delivery of these units will keep the hospital project on schedule to provide a level of medical care that is strongly desired, Hussin said. The hospital is scheduled to open in April.

[SandRat]

Health Care coming to Iraq

[Dog Gone]

Afghanistan, not Iraq. (at least as to this story)

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The old Bagram Hospital was a bunch of tents. Looks like somebody finally decided we would be there for awhile.

[SandRat]

OOOPPPSSS!!!!!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Freepers who wonder why Bush isn't tougher on Musharraf should look at how those modular units got to Bagram.

[bert]

....A total of 77 modular units were manufactured and assembled in Dubai,.......

For the geographically challenged Arab bashers out there in Rio Linde, Dubai is part of the UAE from whence come the new owners of the company with port security contracts.

Dubai is a main reason for the war in Iraq, an extension of the Persian Gulf war in 1991

[fanfan]

BTTT

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Dubai is the reason we overthrew Saddam?

[Sarajevo]

It's about time that a new hospital is installed at Bagram Air Base. The old collection of tents were overrun with mice, and were a hazard to navigate through on foot, not to mention on crutches.

The pictured units appear to be modified shipping containers (Conex's) though, and not the collapsible Corimec units which were in use throughout in Bosnia. Shipping conatiners are heavy duty, but not as easily transported.

I always wondered why de-commissioned containers weren't used earlier, since there were plenty on the base.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

You should see some of the condos built out of containers.

In back of Air Force Village, Camp Samek, Kandahar Air Field, they have built three huge two-story Taj Mahals out of shipping containers.

I lived in a GP Medium.

[Sarajevo]

I would have loved to live in a shipping container. For my first 8 months @ Bagram, I was in a wind-swept tent. Then we were moved into B-huts (10 persons to a hut). Hell, my clinic was a converted latrine!

I recall the build up on Kandahar. The new PX was fantastic, compared to the rest of them in-country. The Kandahar hospital, which was set up in the old terminal building was also a load better than the one at Bagram. At least it was in a hard building.

[gleeaikin]

My son is currently in Afghanistan as staff with an elite unit. Last summer his unite was scheduled to go to Iraq. Then they changed their mind, then they changed it back, then Katrina happened and there was no info for months. Finally, in Nov. they were told they would go to Afghanistan. In Jan. the went.

Now a 70 piece hospital is being assembled at Bagram, to be ready in April. April is when military activity increases as the snows melt and the dirt roads dry out. I found one site that listed all the troops killed since 2001 in Afghanistan. There was a definite increase in April-June. Should I be worried for my son? Would I be correct in guessing that something big may be planned? Anybody have any information?

Does anyone have any information on the 4 American troops who were just killed in Afghanistan?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The PX burnt down before I got there. They rebuilt it. AAFES: "We take your money, wherever you go." I like the KAF PX a lot better than BAF's.

Kandahar was getting civilized when I left.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

IED got those four guys.

Your son should be alright. How much risk he runs depends on where he is and how often he goes outside the wire and how much time he spends on the road.

Everybody's mama worries about their son. Just don't get too freaked out to where you can't sleep and your'e glued to the news scroll at the bottom of Fox News waiting for word of the latest explosion.

[Cannonette]

Hi! I'm the wife of a contractor in Afghanistan, my husband is an ex army officer. He has been in Afghanistan for 15 months now. He is relatively happy and well. I believe your son will be safe as long as he stays in the fenced in areas. The biggest problem our people have is when they go outside the wire. The unfriendlies like to throw things at our people when they leave post. To help me get through the day I write my husband letters and e-mails, light candles and pray, a lot!
I know that my husband is very happy there. He truly feels he is helping our country my doing what he is doing over there. I'm sure your son feels the same way. My two oldest sons are in the Marines, (soon to be deployed to Iraq)so I pray for them too, a lot! I will add you and your son to my prayers. Hope this helped some.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Happened at Deh Rawood in Uruzgan Province.

LINKS

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[SandRat]

A parent always worries especially mothers. Your son is grown and knows what his job and how to do it right. You mention that he's on staff with a unit staff usually stay in the rear area.

So be a parent, worry about your son, pray for your son, pray for and worry for all those in your son's unit and be a "Unit Mom" send mail, cards, and care packages to as many as you can. Your son can help by giving you the names of some of the other guys in the unit that get very little to no mail. Do that and you'll help your son, the unit, and your self make time go by in a blink.