The U.S. Department of Defense and Delta Regional Authority will host a medical mission at Lake Village from July 8-18 offering free medical care, according to a news release.
The Lake Village site will be located at Lakeside High School. Basic medical exams, eye exams, single lens prescriptions glasses and dental services are among the services provided during Innovative Readiness Training missions.
Through a partnership with the Defense Department and the U.S. Military's reserve forces, the Delta Regional Authority supports the program to bring medical, dental, and optical care to Delta residents in need of quality health care free to the patients, according to the release.
Host communities provide local expertise, host facilities, and on-the-ground support, while military units contribute personnel and training resources.
"The Delta Regional Authority's support of this medical training exercise is one more way the DRA is fulfilling its mission to improve life for the residents of the Delta," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in the release. "As the Department of Defense and our military reserve forces sharpen their emergency-response skills, the folks who live in the Delta will have access to first-rate health care."
Innovative Readiness Training is a collaborative program that improves military readiness by providing trained military medical personnel with in-field emergency response training while simultaneously providing quality health care services to communities throughout the Delta region, according to the release.
"A community's economic competitiveness is strengthened by the health and well-being of its workforce," said Delta Regional Authority spokeswoman Shawna Blair. "The Delta Regional Authority is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Defense to implement IRT missions, which provide immediate healthcare services to our residents who need it most. The unique partnership, which includes the participation of Joint military forces of both active and reserve components as well as additional support within our host communities, executes IRT missions at no cost to those treated."
The Delta Regional Authority works closely with Delta communities and Department of Defense to assist with the application process as well as planning and implementation for the 10-day medical mission, according to the release.
"This is an extraordinary opportunity for our communities and military populations to come together, especially in a time of such hardship, to work and provide healthcare, well-being, and facilitate military deployment readiness training," said Lt. Col. Michelle Underwood, NMANG.
In addition to the Lake Village location, two additional sites will occur simultaneously as part of the Delta Wellness Mission 2021: in Greenville, Miss., and Lake Providence, La.
"The Department of Defense and the Delta Regional Authority have done an incredible job improving the quality of life of those in Arkansas' Fourth District while simultaneously improving on military readiness," said Congressman Bruce Westerman. "The Delta Wellness Mission is a great example of government using resources efficiently and should be an example for all taxpayer-funded programs."
Details: IRT.defense.gov .