NORWICH – Riding on the success of last year’s IRT event that brought no-cost medical, dental, vision and veterinary care to thousands of people in the greater Chenango County area, Greater Chenango Cares announced this week that the event will be returning to Norwich this summer.
IRT (short for Innovative Readiness Training) is a collaboration between local government and nonprofit agencies and the U.S. Department of Defense. It provides no-cost health care to the community while also training service men and women to orchestrate health care services during emergencies and disasters.
This year, the Chenango United Way is the lead agency for the IRT event. Having it again in Chenango County a win-win that benefits both the local community and the Department of Defense, explained Chenango United Way Director Elizabeth Monaco.
“It’s great that it’s coming back to this area,” Monaco said. “You don’t often get a chance to do something like this a second time and improve on the previous year’s event, so we’re looking to continue the things that went well last year and change the things that didn’t.”
The 10-day event will be held Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 24 at the Norwich High School.
Last year’s IRT brought 171 service men and women to the area. As a result, thousands of no-cost medical procedures were conducted for local individuals and families, including 4,969 dental procedures, 2,799 optical, 2,520 medical, and 633 veterinary. In addition, 873 pairs of free glasses were issued to individuals in need.
According to Greater Chenango Cares, Approximately 38 percent of families in Chenango County are medically under-insured and 18 percent of adults do not have a regular health care provider. Local health departments often express a need for more medical assistance to low income families and disabled populations, especially those who are under-insured.
Since many local residents are now familiar with IRT and the underlying mission, Monaco said hopes are to service even more people this year. What’s more, this year’s IRT will span two weekends, giving folks with a traditional schedule more opportunity to receive services.
