The “survivors’ wall” at the MMU preserves in paint the hand- prints of health care workers who were treated there and survived in- fection with the Ebola virus.
crisis, Holshue says, some Liberian clinics saw a 50-percent infection rate among their staffs. “The Liberians were ravaged by this disease, and health care work- ers were on the front lines of that,” Holshue notes. “They knew what was happening and still stood up and said, ‘I want to help. I want to protect my country and my brothers and sisters.’ As far as I’m concerned, they are the heroes of the Ebola epidemic.” At the MMU, many patients died,
but many others survived thanks to the quick care provided by Commis- sioned Corps officers and others with whom they worked. Once a patient was declared Ebola-free, a ceremony was held during which the patient dipped his or her hand in paint and left a palm print on a special bill- board honoring survivors, which Holshue helped create. She returned to the MMU during her second de- ployment, which also included trips to Sierra Leone and Guinea, and was happy to see the billboard covered with palm prints. At its height, the Ebola response mission tested the resolve of all con- cerned. Wearing the claustrophobic
60 MILITARY OFFICER MAY 2016
personal-protection equipment was a challenge, Holshue notes, because the oppressive West African heat and humidity caused goggles to fog up and health care workers to sweat profusely while performing their duties. The stench of chlorine, used to disinfect almost everything, was pervasive, and the arrival of multiple gravely ill patients in one day often pushed doctors, nurses, and support staff to their limits. But for Holshue, the gratitude of the Liberian people made it all worthwhile. “The experience was overwhelm- ingly positive,” she says. “Whenever we talked to people and they found out why we were there, they would say, ‘Thank you for being here and helping us,’ which was nice. They were very appreciative.”
Continuing mission Public interest in the Ebola crisis has long since waned, but the Com- missioned Corps’ dedication to its mission in West Africa has not. The Corps still has a small staff in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, where it continues to work on a va- riety of fronts.
“At the moment, we have a small number of officers deployed to sup- port both NIH and CDC agency mis- sions that include areas of research and epidemiology,” Giberson says. “There is no longer direct patient care being provided by Corps of- ficers at this time; CDC continues to monitor the smaller outbreaks and track contacts. They still have as- sets in-country and are very capable of monitoring epidemiology. Our smaller, ongoing mission remains unaffected, though we stand ready if needed in the future.” According to Giberson, the Com- missioned Corps is uniquely quali- fied to address situations such as the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. “Being an unarmed uniformed service of the U.S. has some advantages [when] going to assist on foreign lands, yet the uniforms are a visible marker of trust [and] transparency and, in our case, related to the provision of direct patient care in Liberia,” he explains. “When we had the opportunity to be seen in public, it was met with much appreciation and excitement. Given that our Corps has day-to- day jobs serving underserved and vulnerable populations, our cultural competence, or fluency, is evolved. Having the ability to bridge cultures and stakeholders certainly is a valu- able skill set abroad. Because the Corps is assigned to over 26 agencies and nine U.S. departments, our pub- lic health network is also vast. There is world-class expertise in many areas of public health.”
MO
—Don Vaughan is a freelance writer from North Carolina. His last article for Military Officer was “The Ripple Effect of PTS,” April 2016.
PHOTO: USPHS
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