Tropic Care team ready for action on Kaua‘i

LIHU‘E — Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami was joined by Dr. Janet Berreman of the Kaua‘i District Health Office and Kaua‘i Complex Area Superintendent Daniel Hamada in welcoming the Tropic Care team to Kaua‘i for the group’s sixth deployment to the island.

Kawakami said he was pleased to learn that among the new facets of this training group is the inclusion of a dermatologist.

Another first for this Tropic Care deployment is the availability of veterinary services when Tropic Care professionals team up with the Kaua‘i Humane Society to provide spay and neuter services at no cost to pet owners.

The humane society is accepting appointments online at https://khsappointments.squarespace.com/snclinic-1 or https://kauaihumane.org/services/veterinary-services/.

Tropic Care Kaua‘i is a medical mission from the United States Department of Defense; it is part of the defense department’s Innovative Readiness Training program. The Tropic Care team of about 200 military reservists includes nurses, doctors, pharmacists, optometrists, dermatologists and dentists from across the nation.

The Tropic Care team will provide no-cost care at three different sites across the island for eight days, starting this week.

The main clinic will be at Kapa‘a Middle School. The clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from June 13 through June 20.

Care is also available at Waimea Canyon Middle School from June 13 through June 15 and Kilauea Elementary School from June 18 through 20. The clinics will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. All of the clinics will close at noon on June 20.

Health services at the clinics include physical exams, dermatology, eye examinations and eyeglass fabrication, dental examinations, fillings and extractions.

All services are on a first-come, first-served basis. People are asked to bring their own water, snacks, eyeglasses and a list of current prescriptions.