Army, OHSU healthcare personnel team up

Oregonians hurt by a car crash or another traumatic eventcan mend their injuries with the help of skilled and seasoned U.S. Army healthcareprofessionals stationed at OHSU, in Portland, Oregon, through a new medicalexchange program.

OHSU is one of two hospitals nationwide participating in thenew Army Military Civilian Trauma Team Training program, also called AMCT3. Theprogram has a total of 10 Army medical personnel working alongside civiliantrauma medical staff at OHSU and Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NewJersey.

Participating soldiers are integrated into existing healthcareteams at both hospitals. They seamlessly serve alongside their civiliancounterparts, wearing the same scrubs and performing the same duties. So muchso, that patients may not realize an active-duty military medical professionalis treating them.

While military medical personnel are trained to providecomplex battlefield trauma care to soldiers wherever the need arises, theysometimes spend years providing healthcare at traditional military hospitals.This new program allows these highly skilled physicians and nurses to maintainproficiency in trauma care while also keeping pace with their rapidly changingmilitary and medical professions.

“The Army Military Civilian Trauma Training Team programprovides opportunities for Army medical personnel to work in trauma centerswith more emergency care patients than what we typically see in Armyhospitals," said Brig. Gen. Telita Crosland, commanding general, RegionalHealth Command-Atlantic. "We view this partnership as a win-win for bothArmy Medicine and OHSU. It brings highly skilled doctors and nurses together tosupport patients here in the area. It also allows our military medicalprofessionals to maintain their expertise in support of military medicalreadiness."

Hunter, Crosland and others celebrated the program at an event in January on OHSU’s Marquam Hill Campus. The five Army soldiers who have been at OHSU since September 2018, are:

Lt. Col. Nick Jaszczak, M.D., general and trauma surgeon
Capt. Misha Ownbey, M.D., emergency medicine physician
Capt. Jennifer Brady, D.N.P., C.R.N.A., nurse anesthetist
Capt. Steve Wilcox, C.C.R.N., intensive care nurse
Maj. Cody McDonald, R.N., emergency care nurse

The Army Medical Command's Military-Civilian Trauma TeamTraining program has been inspired by national efforts to stop preventabledeaths such as bleeding out in people with traumatic injuries. The programpromotes a two-way exchange of ideas and expertise and can help both militaryand civilian trauma centers improve outcomes for their patients.

OHSU became involved in the program with the help of MartinSchreiber, M.D., who is the chief of OHSU Healthcare’s Trauma, Critical Care& Acute Care Surgery Division and also a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.