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Multi-service dentists and technicians take care of patients in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, June 11, 2023, as part of Operation Healthy Delta Innovative Readiness Training. Healthy Delta is a Department of Defense sponsored training opportunity bringing no-cost healthcare to communities in need while also providing military members with real-world training experience they don’t ordinarily receive at their home stations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John E. Hillier)

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Servicemembers from across the Department of Defense assigned to units across the country support an Innovative Readiness Training Program at Poplar Bluff, Missouri, June 10, 2023. The DOD sponsored program is designed to build relationships with local communities by providing key medical and dental services while simultaneously providing real-world training experience. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Danielle Dawson)

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U.S. Air Force Capt. Sara Hecht, an assistant officer in charge assigned to the 131st Bomb Wing at Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Base, Missouri, answers questions during an Innovative Readiness Training Program at Poplar Bluff, Missouri, June 10, 2023. The DOD sponsored program is designed to build relationships with local communities by providing key medical and dental services while simultaneously providing real-world training experience. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Danielle Dawson)

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Airman 1st Class Jaycee Davis, a 131st Bomb Wing dental technician, assists with dental procedures June 11, 2023, in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, as part of Operation Healthy Delta Innovative Readiness Training. More than 250 military members will join with civilian organizations to bring no-cost healthcare to communities in Southern Missouri and Illinois while also providing military members with valuable joint force training experience as part of this operation. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John E. Hillier)

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U.S. Navy Reserve Petty Officer 3rd Class Avila Lupe, a hospital corpsman assigned to the Navy Reserve Center in San Jose, California, checks a patient's vitals during an Innovative Readiness Training Program at Poplar Bluff, Missouri, June 10, 2023. The DOD sponsored program is designed to build relationships with local communities by providing key medical and dental services while simultaneously providing real-world training experience. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Cass Danielle Dawson)

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U.S. Army Reserve Spc. James Stammer, biomedical equipment specialist for the 332nd Medical Logistics Company, Weldon Springs, Missouri, prepares a portable dental unit, June 10, 2023, at Three Rivers College, Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Stammer is one of many service members supporting Operation Healthy Delta Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) in the Southern Missouri and Illinois regions. IRT missions provide service members with training and readiness skills while also helping to support local community needs. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Whitney Erhart)

Operation Healthy Delta IRT

U.S. Army Reserve Spc. Caleb Smith, a nursing specialist with the 1908th Medical Detachment, takes a patient’s vital signs during Operation Healthy Delta IRT, June 11, 2023, at Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Healthy Delta IRT is a Department of Defense sponsored training opportunity bringing no-cost healthcare to communities in need while also providing military members with real-world training experience they don’t ordinarily receive at their home stations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John E. Hillier)

Operation Healthy Delta begins in southern Missouri and Illinois

Published June 15, 2023
By Senior Airman Whitney Erhart
131st Bomb Wing Public Affairs

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Service members from across the Department of Defense are joining forces with the U.S. Public Health Service and community partners to complete Innovative Readiness Training (IRT), June 10–20, 2023.

The Department of Defense military training and readiness opportunity is exclusive to the United States and its territories and focuses on addressing the needs of underserved American communities. Operation Healthy Delta will be taking place at the Bess Activity Center, Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Miner Baptist Church, Sikeston, Missouri, and Anna-Jonesboro Community High School, Anna, Illinois.

“We are proud to be here to make an impact in these communities, to share our stories and experiences and we hope we are welcome back in the future to continue to serve our communities,” said U.S. Air National Guard Lt. Col. Cristina Fenwick, the officer in charge of Operation Healthy Delta.

More than 250 service members are assigned to the mission, said Fenwick, who serves with the 131st Bomb Wing, Missouri Air National Guard.

While missions focus on training, it also helps service members be involved with the public and give back to local communities, said U.S. Air Force Reserve Capt. George W. Bates, 514th Air Mobility Wing, Air Force Reserve.

“Our overall mission is about our readiness training,” said Bates, the administrative officer in charge for Operation Healthy Delta IRT. “Secondly, our goal is to provide services to the local community and leave them in a better situation than when we first arrived.”

This is not the first year this exercise has been held in southeast Missouri and surrounding communities.

“What makes this IRT special is that it’s a recurring site,” said Bates. “This community has not only seen the benefits of our work ethic, but they have also reinvested in the innovative readiness training platform.”

The IRT provides the opportunity for all service members involved to complete required training and readiness skills. It also puts them in real life scenarios that are applicable to their career fields.

“Dental technicians will be working with dentists, sterilizing, preparing and assisting with extractions, cleanings and x-rays,” said U.S. Air Force Reserve Master Sgt. Kevin Hyde, of the 514th, and the operation’s non-commissioned officer in charge. “Medical technicians will be working with medical providers, taking height and weight measurements and doing blood pressure checks. Everyone will be fulfilling mission goals and getting hands-on experience.”

The mission will continue until June 20.