CSC Health Brief Before any Departure from Base

An official Brief from Healthcare worker for Defence community

1. CSC Health brief NEW CALEDONIA, HAWAII UNCLASSIFIED

2. SCOPE UNCLASSIFIED 2 Concept of health support. Casualty reporting. Environmental Health threats and mitigations.

3. UNCLASSIFIED 3

4. Concept OF HEALTH SUPPORT UNCLASSIFIED Aim: to understand available health support in theatre available to NZDF personnel.

5. LOCAL HEALTH FACILITIES UNCLASSIFIED 5 HAWAII has a good, equivalent standard of healthcare Ambulance is #911, staffed with paramedics AMR – American Medical Response Straub Hospital, 888 South King St, Honolulu

6. LOCAL HEALTH FACILITIES UNCLASSIFIED 6 NEW CALEDONIA has limited but reasonable care available in Noumea , with further limited capacity in rural locations. Medipole De Koutio Hospital Center Territorial Gaston- Bourret is ISOS approved Hospital staff predominately speak French, with some English Significant tasks such as neurosurgery, managing severe burns and other specialist care is often transferred to Australia. Local ambulance is #15, Service D’Aide medicale d’Urgence (SAMU)

7. ISOS UNCLASSIFIED 7 In first instance, use nominated health services NZDF uses International SOS (ISOS). Call center can: provide detail on what local health services to use. Provide assurance of ‘insurance’ to medical providers. Provide evacuation options if required. Payment: NZDF credit card in first instance. If unavailable, ISOS can facilitate payment. ISOS will contact NZDF MO to approve payment. NZDF pay for all medical services rendered by ISOS. Keep all paperwork related to any health services provided

8. ISOS UNCLASSIFIED 8 Keep ISOS details provided. Write down membership number. Recommended to download ISOS app. Z76YCA647550

9. CASUALTY REPORTING UNCLASSIFIED Aim: to prepare NZDF personnel (in relation to health) prior to deployment.

10. MEDICAL IN CONFIDENCE UNCLASSIFIED 10 Any medical information pertaining to an individual, is medical-in-confidence (MIC). Includes COVID-19 test results. Do not include details of condition. Can get key message across without disclosing medical in confidence (see example). Clinical details only get reported directly to J1H. NOTICAS only emailed to HQJFNZ Joint Watch Centre (does not contain clinical details). If in doubt contact J1H.

11. Example UNCLASSIFIED 11 “E1099321 has had vomiting and diarrhoea all night, and now at local medical services where he has been diagnosed with food poisoning. He will take some time off work to recover” “E1099321 has been to see local medical services and has a diagnosis. They are on five days of sick leave, for review on completion. Pt is stable (priority 3) and condition unlikely to get worse. Patient should be able to return to work after sick leave. Nil effect to mission at this time”.

12. Defence Unit Name Environmental Health brief UNCLASSIFIED Aim: To minimise levels of Disease and Non-Battle Injury (DNBI) casualties by education.

13. GENERAL COUNTRY CONDITIONS UNCLASSIFIED 13 Tropical climate HAWAII is a pacific archipelago located in the tropics Mean temp Jan 22 degrees. Mean temp Jul 25 degrees. Hawaii has a rainy season that falls between Nov – Mar . NEW CALEDONIA experiences a relatively stable climate , with lows of 20-22 degrees , and highs of 29 degrees . Water and food HAWAII is a state of the USA and has infrastructure that is comparable to the rest of the country. Expect similar standards to New Zealand. NEW CALEDONIA central locations are considered to have safe food and water standards. Natural hazards HAWAII - Volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunami. NEW CALEDONIA – tropical storms and cyclones Roads and safety Generally safe however both countries drive on the opposite side of the road to NZ.

14. HANDOUT UNCLASSIFIED 14

15. VECTOR BORNE DISEASE UNCLASSIFIED 15 Mosquitoes can be found year-round in both countries. Dengue, Zika , and Chikungunya are present but rates of transmission are very low. Risk = LOW Mitigations Avoid being bitten. Apply insect repellent regularly (with DEET / picaridin) Spray sleeping areas with insecticide before going to bed. Sleeves down on uniforms. Light coloured clothing is less attractive to mosquitos Wear long pants / tops. Tuck pants into boots.

16. ANIMALS UNCLASSIFIED 16 Risk = Medium Mitigations Shake out boots/bedding/clothing prior to use Never walk barefoot. Use reef shoes at the beach. Use torch to walk along unlit pathways at night. Use caution when entering abandoned buildings or bunkers or areas of debris. Avoid contact with animals and reptiles. Seek medical attention if stung, bitten or otherwise injured

17. UNCLASSIFIED 17 Risk = Medium Mitigations (hot weather) Acclimatisation. Drink water at frequent intervals (do not exceed 12 L per day). Wear sunscreen, lip balm, hat and sunglasses. Ensure adequate work / rest ratios. Avoid vigorous physical activity during hottest and most humid parts of the day. Shower regularly. Prevention and management of Heat Stress for all Commanders and Supervisors CLIMATE Days 1 – 2 Days 3 – 4 Day 5 - 7 Day 7 - 11 Walking – tempo, short periods Slow jog, short periods Jog / run, short periods Working with frequent breaks

18. PERSONAL HYGIENE UNCLASSIFIED 18 Regular showers Skin especially high sweat areas. Hair. Hands. Feet. Oral hygiene – brush teeth regularly. Communal living – wear jandals . Feet – wash, dry and air out regularly. Check for ticks (if prevalent in the area). Consider bringing stock of personal hygiene products. Handwashing

19. RTNZ UNCLASSIFIED 19 If you have received any care overseas, bring documents back for uploading into medical records by local DHC. Consider safety of personal medications and health products if exposed to high or low temperatures, or other unsuitable conditions. Report all potential exposures to hazardous chemicals or critical incidents. PAR to include any health issues.

20. J1H contact information UNCLASSIFIED 20 Any time - via the Watch Keeper DTelN : 345-3800 Tel: [phone] Office hours DTelN : 345-6897 Tel: [phone] E-mail: [email protected] After hours Duty Mobile: [phone] E-mail: [email protected]

21. Key points UNCLASSIFIED 21 Note ISOS membership number (Z76YCA647550). Use common sense. Eat and drink from trusted sources. Avoid insect bites. Don’t touch the animals. Protect yourself from heat / sun. Contact J1 Health if any concerns.

22. Questions? UNCLASSIFIED 22