THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 26, 1995 TAG: 9504260640
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By KERRY DEROCHI, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
One weekend a month, David Young leaves his job in downtown Norfolk to report to the operating rooms at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center.
Once there, he treats a steady stream of ill sailors and soldiers, performing as many as 30 procedures in less than 48 hours.
A nurse anesthetist by trade, Young is part of a team of Navy reservists who drill each month by helping run the hospital's surgical wards.
``The goal of the reserves is to be prepared for war, to backfill positions in the hospital in the case of hostilities,'' said Young, a lieutenant commander in the reserves.
``We're not sitting here twiddling our thumbs. We're training for war.''
Young and 35 other doctors, nurses and technicians are members of a training program designed to give reservists on-hand experience and to ease the backlog of surgical cases at the Portsmouth hospital.
Each drill weekend, the team handles three operating rooms on Saturday and two on Sunday, treating patients from 6 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The cases are routine, outpatient procedures, like removing tonsils and setting broken bones.
They've treated 225 since the program started more than two years ago.
The procedures account for only a small portion of the estimated 10,000 surgeries performed each year at the Portsmouth hospital, but, as a Navy spokesman said, every little bit helps.
``As anyone who comes to the medical center knows, surgery appointments are tight,'' said Lt. Merritt Allen, the hospital's public affairs officer. ``We really appreciate the help we're getting from the reserves. They're providing a vital service for all of our patients, keeping our families healthy and our fleet fit.''
The idea for the Reserve Same Day Surgery program dates back to the Persian Gulf war, when reservists were called in to run Navy hospitals around the country, replacing the active duty medics who had been dispatched overseas.
The experience was considered invaluable for the reservists, whose Navy training routinely consists of educational films and clinic lectures.
Once the war was over and the active duty staff returned, the Navy began searching for ways to keep the reservists involved in the hospital operations.
The first program began in California, shortly after the war ended. The idea caught on and spread to other Navy hospitals, including Portsmouth in March 1993.
The team started by handling mostly orthopedic and gynecological cases, but has recently taken on procedures like tonsilectomies.
``We have a lot of talent we're putting to use,'' said reserve Cmdr. Mary Lurus, a nurse. ``We work hard. They're long days. Everyone's committed to the program.''
Most of the members of the group work in Hampton Roads in civilian hospitals. One flies in from Illinois each month - at his own expense.
They are drawn from a composite of reserve units at the medical center. They hope to expand the program by attracting more reservists to the team.
``We know we're making a difference, every time we come in here,'' said Patricia Vest, an operating room technician. ``That's why we're here. Even though we may go home tired, we feel we're making a difference.''
For Young, the monthly drills have become almost like mini-vacations, even though the pace is fast and the work, at times, is difficult.
``There's a certain shared experience and camaraderie that we have here that I don't have in my civilian job,'' Young said. ``In my job, it's business, all business. Here's there's a real mission to do something.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GARY C. KNAPP
Lt. Cmdr. David Young, left, Cmdr. Mary Lurus, center, and Petty
Officer 1st Class Patricia Vest, all reservists, help out at
Portsmouth Naval Medical Center one weekend a month.
by CNB