GuardCare 2024 provides free medical care to citizens of Greene County, Ohio

Story by Staff Sgt. Amber Mullen-Schweitzer

Ohio National Guard Public Affairs

Having access to health care services and receiving medical treatment when it is necessary is vital to the wellness of all Americans. However, not all people can afford certain medical services, sometimes even when they have health insurance. Financial barriers that prevent medically underserved and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities from receiving the care that others might take for granted.

In order to help alleviate this burden for Ohioans, the Ohio National Guard and other government civilian and military medical professionals partnered with local and state public health agencies to conduct “Greene County GuardCare 2024: Warriors for Health” Aug. 10-11 at the Greene County Career Center in Xenia. Over two days, a contingent of Ohio National Guard members, U.S. Public Health Service officers and other U.S. military medical professionals partnered with local and state health agencies to provide free, comprehensive medical care to the citizens of Greene County. During the weekend event, more than 1,000 Ohioans received free, comprehensive medical care that many of them would not normally have access to.

“The partnerships that were able to bring this event to fruition, that made this possible, we are deeply appreciative of,” said Maj. Gen. John C. Harris, Jr., Ohio adjutant general.

In 1995, Congress authorized the National Guard to serve in local communities that are medically underserved through the Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training, or IRT, program. IRTs provide joint training opportunities to increase service member deployment readiness. Simultaneously, IRT provides key services (examples include health care, construction transportation, and cybersecurity) with lasting benefits for American communities.

Soon thereafter, the Ohio National Guard established GuardCare to provide Ohioans with key health care services and opportunities for Guard medical professionals to practice and utilize their skills. Every year between 1996 and 2019, the Ohio National Guard has partnered with the Ohio Department of Health and other local and state healthcare agencies and community-based organizations to organize and execute GuardCare in a differently medically underserved community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first year that GuardCare has taken place since 2019. This event operates to alleviate the pressure on local health care providers, assist with offloading their ever-growing demand, and save the community money.

“In communities like Greene County, there is a definite need for health care that they just don’t have enough of,” said Lt. Col. Frederick Marquinez, the mission commander for Greene County GuardCare 2024: Warriors for Health. “By providing these services, we can help them a great deal by treating them or pointing them in the right direction so they can get proper medical care.”

This year, approximately 200 service members supported the community mission, with representation by the Air Force, Army, and U.S. Public Health Services members, across all components of active duty, National Guard and Reserve. The medical professionals worked together to give back and serve their communities and state alongside 33 local and state agencies and organizations.

“This would not have been possible without the support of the community and not just Greene County, but our neighboring counties’ public health partners,” said Sheryl Wynn, director of planning preparedness and promotion for the Greene County Public Health Department.

GuardCare provided Ohioans with access to medical screenings, physicals, immunizations, optometry services and free eyeglasses, dental extractions and restorative care, hearing tests, lab draws, nutrition counseling, car seat fittings and crib giveaways, mental and behavioral health services, women’s health services, physical therapy and a health fair. All of these services were provided at no cost and regardless of whether a person had health insurance. In total, GuardCare was able to provide approximately $340,000 in cost savings to the local community through the medical services that were offered.

“There are a number of stories we could tell about folks who have received an assessment or some sort of medical care for the first time in many, many years,” Harris said. “It’s such an honor to be able to do that for the community as one part of our National Guard mission.”

And beyond the opportunity to provide a critical service to their communities, GuardCare generates real-world training hours as military medical professionals utilize and enhance their skill sets and stay mission ready. They worked side by side with civilian counterparts and fostered relationships that, in turn, enhance their operability.

“The mission is so important because for Soldiers that are in the Guard, they do not always get a lot of opportunities to train in their given field,” said Sgt. 1st Class Todd Harper, the state dental noncommissioned officer-in-charge for the Ohio Army National Guard. “This type of training is extremely important because when they deploy, they will have the experience to be proficient in their duties.”

Since its inception, GuardCare has provided access to medical services for more than 14,000 Ohioans across the state. The mission shows the Ohio National Guard’s commitment to using their acquired skills for the benefit of Ohioans who need health care but may be faced with the challenge of not being able to afford it. Most important, it allows for National Guard Soldiers, Airmen and other participants to serve their neighbors and the communities in which they live.