Serving those who serve

By Linda Reeves - The Florida Catholic Palm Beach

FORT LAUDERDALE | U.S. military and country flags flew on the campus of Holy Cross Hospital recently as the Catholic facility launched a new mission aimed at better serving the country’s wounded warriors and their families.

The Military and Veterans Health Program trains hospital doctors, nurses and support staff to better diagnose illnesses and conditions that could stem back to a patient’s military service. Although the launch date was March 6, 2020, training for hospital staff began in September.

Donardo Darby is a Holy Cross program trainer and former medic in the U. S. Army. He is familiar with the unique military culture as well as the diseases, injuries and exposures associated with active duty and deployed service members.

He explained that under the new program, the hospital will strive to identify patients who are active military or veterans in order to provide them with care designed for their specific needs. The hospital’s medical professionals also undergo extensive training that covers an array of topics including service cultures; diseases and injuries common among the military; physical, emotional and spiritual impact of operational deployments; mental and behavioral health conditions specific to military service; and military deployment cycles for each branch of service.

“The main thing we are trying to do is get nurses and doctors to recognize the different issues so they can best treat them,” said Darby.

Elyce Bishop, a Holy Cross nurse who is helping with the program start-up and training, said the program is especially significant to her. She is from a military family and her husband is currently serving in the U.S. Navy.

“The program is a way to say thank you for your service,” she said. “We are one of the first to have a program like this.”

Veterans Affairs reports that 20 million veterans live in the United States, and 1,525,400 of them reside in Florida. Florida has the third largest veteran population in the nation, behind California with 1,681,730 and Texas with 1,584,844.

“We have the highest concentration of veterans in Florida,” said Bishop, explaining that Broward’s veteran population of more than 78,000 men and women continues to grow. “They are retiring here,” she said. “We wanted to better serve them and their families.”

West Palm Beach and Miami have VA hospitals where veterans can go to receive care. If they suffer a specific degree of disability related to their military service, they must show proof to qualify for many health care services. Sometimes the wait is long.

“I think what Holy Cross is doing is great,” said Steve Anton, a former Navy man. He suffers from back issues related to the harsh conditions he was exposed to while working underwater repairing ships. His injuries developed long after he left the military and continue today.

“I know some people who have injuries but didn’t realize that their conditions were connected with the time they did in the service,” said Anton.

Leslie Rutland-Tipton, chaplain at Holy Cross and a former Marine officer who served more than 10 years, explained that the wounds of war go far beyond what meets the eye. Young people enter the service in top health, but many return with medical conditions they didn’t have when they enlisted.

According to statistics, 79% of veterans report at least one chronic medical condition.

“I really appreciate that the hospital took this on,” Rutland-Tipton said. “It is important to find out any underlying conditions” that wounded and scarred veterans may have developed long after they left the battlefield.

“I am honored to be here today,” said Daniel Burgess, executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, who spoke at the launch ceremony.

“Thank you, Holy Cross and Trinity Health, for taking this on,” he added. “As a community, we have to fill the gaps. It is important to take this model across the state. I appreciate you so in this mission. We stand with you to support you wherever we can.”

Holy Cross, a 557-bed facility with nearly 3,000 employees, opened in 1955, staffed by the Sisters of Mercy to serve the community. The hospital is now in partnership with Trinity Health, a national Catholic health system, and continues to carry on in the spirit of the Mercy religious sisters.