By Fred Guarino

The Selma Times-Journal

 

HAYNEVILLE — More than 5,000 residents of Demopolis, Hayneville and Selma will receive free medical, dental, optometry and counseling services beginning today, through May 10.

Gov. Robert Bentley joined Air Force Col. Jerry Arends and Christopher Masingill, federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, in Hayneville Monday to announce the free medical care being offered through the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training Program.

Also on hand were Hayneville Mayor Helenor Bell and Selma Mayor George Evans.

The IRT program, under the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, focuses on reserve components of the military to provide medical training.

Instead of just going to a unit and doing paperwork “and pretending you’re working on patients,” Arends said, “We provide an environment where they’re actually going into the community where they gain valuable training in terms of potentially responding to disasters.”

He said IRT trains military personnel to “get on a plane and get down to some place and be able to set up a clinic in potentially a fire bay, or small town hall or an abandoned clinic or a factory in Demopolis or some building in downtown Selma.”

The free services, regardless of income, will be offered from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

“It’s going to benefit Selma and Dallas County, Evans said. “I mean everybody has needs. Health needs are critical. So, I’m real pleased, excited about it. The 10 days they are gong to be in our city and county are going to be awesome.”

Selma locations are 19 Washington St. for medical, sports screenings and counseling and 2 Lawrence St. on the riverfront for dental and optometric.

“So, today, that’s what our folks are actually doing… they’re bedding down in their places where they are going to sleep, and they are going to start building their clinics in those buildings,” Arends said.

He said there would be about 250 military personnel involved from all states, including the Army, Navy, Air Force and the reserve components of each.

Arends said there would be 90 personnel in Selma and Demopolis and 70 in Hayneville.

“I just want to stress how important this program is not only for the Delta Region but for Alabama,” Masingill said. “Without healthy people, you won’t have a healthy workforce, and that is a key ingredient to strong economic development.”

Bentley thanked the Delta Regional Authority and the Department of Defense for helping.

“I know this is going to do a lot of good, and you are going to see a lot of patients,” Bentley said. “I’m tired of Alabama having one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country.”

He also said he was tired of Alabama’s status as being nearly the most obese state in the country.

“And that results in diabetes, adult onset diabetes; it results in heart disease and so many other issues that are related to that. So, I would like to see Alabama get healthy. And you being here (the IRT Program) helps us do that,” Bentley said.