MUSC leaders briefed on aeromedical evacuations and operations

Joint Base Charleston played host to senior officials from MUSC, including MUSC President David Cole, M.D., FACS, Executive Medical Director and MUSC Health CEO Patrick Cawley, M.D. during a briefing and tour of the aeromedical capabilities May 22 at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. The purpose of the visit was to share information about the medical missions, as well as the overall mission of the various units at JB Charleston. It echoed a visit base officials made to MUSC earlier this year to familiarize themselves with the institution’s facilities.

After a briefing by base officials, the visitors from MUSC were escorted to the flight line, where they were further briefed onboard a C-17 during a static display. They learned about aeromedical evacuations and the Transportation Isolation System, an airtight pod intended to isolate patients exposed to pathogens, initially developed in response to the West African Ebola outbreak in 2014. Members from the 315th Airlift Wing, 628th Aeromedical Medicine Squadron and 628th Bioenvironmental Engineering flights touted the capabilities of JB Charleston and showed the visitors specialized equipment used for medical evacuations.

During the briefing, USAF Col. Jeff Nelson, Joint Base Charleston commander, expressed gratitude for the relationship between the base and MUSC. He and Cole, along with leadership from both the base and the hospital, discussed the possibilities of furthering their partnership with mutual training opportunities.

“We’ve got such a medically rich community and great medical partners,” added Col. Craig Lambert, 628th Medical Group commander. “This type of communication is what makes these relationships work so well.”

Joint Base Charleston and MUSC are the two largest employers in the Charleston region, with 22,000 employees at Joint Base Charleston and 13,000 at MUSC.