Military medical personnel are bringing free services to southern Missouri

More than 100 medical members of the Army, Air Force and reserves are in southern Missouri for a week to provide free medical services to anyone who wants them.

The project is a collaboration among the Department of Defense, the Delta Regional Authority and local health care agencies.

“These are the favored missions where we can train our soldiers, build relationships with community partners and see the impact we have in the community,” said Lt. Col. Safuratu Aranmolate, an Army field hospital commander.

The mission is designed to help the communities and train troops by simulating work environments that the medical officers may face if deployed during a natural disaster or in overseas conflicts.

“Some of us are in high school gymnasiums, and some of us are in storage closets. We have to be able to get that practice that, you know, some of the medical professionals won’t get that kind of field environment from their civilian jobs,” said Capt. David Falcon, an Air Force medical officer.