Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 West Virginia shares ideas on rural health in Peru By Lt. Col. Mike Cadle
                West Virginia National Guard
 CHARLESTON, W.V., - Poor dental health, lack  of adequate
immunizations, and a shortage of resources for preventive  care are many of
the challenges involved in providing health care in rural  settings, the
chief of aerospace medicine here at the Charleston Air  National Guard base,
said today. Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Steve Nathanson led a  team of American
military and civilian rural health experts on a mission  to Peru recently to
exchange ideas with that country's Ministry of Health on  how best to combat
these challenges and implement effective rural health  practices. Nathanson,  who works full time for Team Health Atlantic as chief of
emergency medicine at Thomas Memorial Hospital in South  Charleston, W.V.,
said education is the key. "I  think the best thing we could help with is basic education. If we
give people some basic education and then spread them  throughout the rural
parts of the country, that is probably where we could do  the most good over
the longest period of time," Nathanson said. "Give  a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him to fish and he
eats for a lifetime. That old proverb might be the best  way to describe how
we could best help the people of Peru." The visit  was coordinated with the Peruvian Ministries of Defense
and Health under the National Guard's State Partnership  Program, which was
created in the 1990's as a means of reinforcing military  and civilian
relationships with developing countries to strengthen  economic, military and
political ties. West  Virginia has been partnered with Peru since 1996 and was one of
the first two states to implement the partnership program  in the U.S.
Southern Command area of operations. That area includes  more than 31
countries and 10 territories in Central and South America  and the Caribbean. Since the  program's inception, West Virginia Guardsmen have
coordinated more than 30 exchanges with various Peruvian  government
agencies. "It's  not about fighting wars," said Maj. Todd Miller, West
Virginia's partnership coordinator. "We want to  demonstrate our desire to
make the world a better place and to be a good neighbor.  We can do this in
places like Peru by developing long-term relationships  based on mutual
interests," Miller said. A team of  leading rural health experts from around the country
accompanied the West Virginia Guard on the week-long  visit. Heading up  the civilian group was Hilda Heady, whose impressive
resume includes 10 years as president of a rural hospital  in West Virginia
and nearly 20 years as the associate vice-president for  rural health at West
Virginia University. "I was  honored to be asked by the West Virginia Guard to help them
take a global view of the rural health needs in  Peru," Heady said. "My first
impression is that there are a lot of similarities  between our countries
that have populations spread over mountainous areas and  desert or sparse
areas where the population lives." Heady said  Peruvians have the same challenges in terms of access to
healthcare as do Americans who live in rural areas. "Given  particularly the experience we've had in the U.S. trying to
increase access for pregnant women to healthcare, to  immunizations, to
education, it's been wonderful sharing those experiences  from one country to
another," Heady said. The next  step in this rural health initiative, said Miller, is to
bring Peruvian health officials to the U.S. to visit West  Virginia's rural
health clinics. "Doing  that would reinforce many of the discussions held in Peru and
establish a long-term plan for conducting more tangible,  results-oriented
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course
 By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith,
  38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry,
  Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska
 By 156th Wing
  More
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course Guard News • 8 hours ago
 38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise Guard News • 15 hours ago
 Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska Guard News • 16 hours ago
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (196)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil