Military to open combat hospital in Anbar

Military to open combat hospital in Anbar
By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, March 14, 2007

The U.S. military will open the first newly built combat hospital in Anbar province next week, providing what officials call an upgrade to previous facilities in the region.

The 399th Combat Support Hospital, at Asad, will serve as the primary medical facility for the Marine Expeditionary Force and U.S. Army troops in the region, along with Iraqi army and police units in Anbar province.

"The primary benefit of having this hospital in the al-Anbar province is that it will reduce the amount of time before Marines, Coalition and Iraqi Armed Forces receive level III (Surgical and Stabilization) medical care in the region," officials said.

More than 40 percent of American casualties in Iraq are suffered in Anbar province, so the need for faster high-level care is apparent.

The new combat support hospital will include a women's clinic, outpatient clinics, mental health and occupational therapy/physical therapy areas, along with a range of surgical possibilities, officials said. It will also have a lab, blood bank and CT scan capabilities.

The 399th CSH will fall under Task Force 3 MEDCOM, which includes more than 30 medical units and about 3,000 soldiers and is responsible for all medical care in Iraq.

TF3 MEDCOM includes combat support hospitals, an Air Force theater hospital, medical battalions, and dental, combat stress and veterinary care, among other responsibilities. The 399th CSH is an Army Reserve unit from Taunton, Mass. It also operates a combat support hospital in Tikrit.