DVIDS – News – Landstuhl Regional Medical Center plays key role in global health work

LUANDA, Angola — Building partner capacity and interoperability in support of two unified combatant commands and an Army service component command is no small feat, especially for a small global health engagement team that is making a big difference.

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center’s Global Health Engagement Team recently supported U.S. Africa Command as they traveled to the African country of Angola, Aug. 19-23, 2024, to exchange subject matter experts with Angola’s Armed Forces Health Division.

The two teams met to discuss advanced medical skills required for rapid response during emerging disease outbreaks, with the goal of enhancing interoperability with respect to outbreak management, surveillance, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

“We extensively discussed preventive medicine practices, outbreak best practices, and lessons learned, including COVID-19, malaria, and yellow fever,” said Col. Claude Burnett, LRMC’s Global Health Engagement and Clinical Readiness Director.

According to attendees, both teams benefited from the exchange, learning from each other in addressing healthcare issues, as well as sharing challenges and response strategies regarding COVID-19 faced by U.S. and Angolan military care providers.

“While the scale, resources, and outcomes of COVID-19 responses varied considerably, similarities underscore the common public health strategies between the two countries,” Burnett said. “We look forward to future partnerships with Angola to continue collaborating, advancing interconnectedness and public health strategy alignment, ensuring coordinated efforts to prevent and control outbreaks.”

For resource-constrained countries like Angola, these exchanges mean not only increasing the readiness of their militaries, but also improving the health of their citizens.

According to Lieutenant General Alberto de Almeida, director of health services for the Angolan Armed Forces, 90 percent of Angola’s COVID-19 response fell on the military’s medical forces.

“This exchange program with Angola highlights the critical importance of partnering with our allies, partner nations and friends to collaborate on disease management response,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tanya Bolden, LRMC’s Global Health Engagement and Clinical Readiness Deputy Director. “One of the key elements gained from this engagement was shared knowledge to improve real-time preparedness for emerging infectious diseases and increased interoperability between both countries.”