A military Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) medical mission will be coming to Jasper and Kingston this summer, it was announced last week.
Jasper Mayor Michael Thomas said during Monday's Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting that he received information about the IRT mission and the Jasper School District Board of Education at its regular meeting on Tuesday night gave its approval for the military's use of facilities on the Kingston and Jasper schools campuses July 14-28.
Medical missions provide training opportunities to military units while providing incidental benefit to communities via no-cost healthcare.
Services include optometry, health exams, dental, veterinary care, and public health education. Care is delivered by credentialed healthcare providers and no one is turned away.
These missions are typically conducted over several days or weeks at a time to ensure maximum benefit to the community served.
An IRT mission proposal had been presented to the Jasper school board about two years ago, but the military chose another location.
Tina M. Cole, community development coordinator with the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District based in Harrison, confirmed the military's commitment to conduct the IRT. She has been working with military officials and said a second planning meeting is scheduled. More public information will be released following that meeting.
