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The 7th Civil Support Command hosted its annual medical and dental Servicemember Readiness Program Nov. 19 to 21 at the Kleber Gym on Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern to ensure all Soldiers within the 7th CSC were medically screened, updated and mission ready.
The 7th CSC’s Office of the Surgeon coordinated the SRP, and more than 200 personnel, including the 209th Army Liaison Team from Wiesbaden, Germany, and its subordinate units, showed up Nov. 20 to be checked, said Maj. Thomas Hrabal, officer in charge of the 7th CSC’s OSURG.
“Only one Soldier in a 19-person or less unit can cause the whole unit to go red for not completing an annual dental screening,” Major Hrabal said. “Every Soldier is significant to the team, and there can be no weak link.”
The 7th CSC’s OSURG began coordinating the SRP in August during exercise Guardian Shield, Major Hrabal said. During the last week before the SRP, the OSURG personnel were working about 20 hours a day to make sure everything ran smoothly.
The medical and dental readiness program provides commanders with the assurance that any mission that may occur will not be affected by medical or dental uncertainties.
“This is the third time we have come here to Kaiserslautern, and before in 2006 we were in Grafenwöhr,” said Walt Haag, the Periodic Health Assessment director from LaCross, Wis., who was with a sub-contracting company helping with the medical and dental SRP. “We brought 41 personnel this year to include dental annual exam personnel, bite-wing personnel, and we have X-ray along with pangrams.”
Mr. Haag said they provided immunizations to those who needed them.
“Along with that, we are taking blood samples, which will be sent to labs stateside,” he said. “Last year we were limited in the amount of personnel we had, but this year we have everything to include dental technicians and oral hygiene specialist.”
Oral readiness will affect overall readiness of the Soldier, said Dr. Richard P. Kilch, a dentist for the medical SRP.
“We want to keep Soldiers’ mouths in perfect working order,” Dr. Kilch said. “Primarily gum disease can cause inflammation and infection, which can spread through the blood and affect diabetes, possibly causing heart disease and premature births along with a number of other possible conditions.”
During the three-day event, a total of 16 units from the 7th CSC were present, along with four units outside the command and scattered personnel from five other U.S. units.
More than 400 Soldiers were present for this year’s SRP, said Col. Joanna Edwards, the command surgeon for the 7th CSC’s OSURG.
“This year went extremely smoothly,” Colonel Edwards said.
Next year’s medical SRP for the 7th CSC is already in the planning stage.
