Since February 2022 in the war in Ukraine, more than half of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians who died from their injuries could have been saved if medics and others were properly trained in basic lifesaving skills.
Brig. Gen. Mark Arnold of Columbus is working to provide mobile medical units and trained medics for Ukraine. Arnold has more than 37 years of military service and served three combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq in special operations task forces.
Post-active duty, he graduated from the Ohio Fire Academy’s EMT and firefighter courses. He also trained to be a medic and a certified medic instructor. He understands what is needed to save lives.
Before 2022, medics in Ukraine were educated by physicians in five medical schools until three were destroyed and one severely damaged in the invasion by Russia.
While the Ukrainian military has approximately 27,000 medics, the significant expansion of the Ukrainian ground forces and casualties among medics have resulted in fewer than 20% receiving more than two weeks’ education in pre-hospital medicine before being assigned to their units, as compared with a 16-week education program pre-invasion.
Almost all injured Ukrainian soldiers are two to six hours’ transport from point of injury to the first physician in the chain of care, and four to six days until they are hospitalized. Often, enemy artillery attacks prevent evacuation from the front for up to two days.
The Ukrainian Military Medical Academy is responsible for educating and graduating physicians, nurses and medics. The academy plans to qualify 120 instructors (most are physicians) to teach the combat medic course, the same curriculum used by the U.S. military for its medics.
The academy is establishing 23 geographically dispersed sites plus mobile training teams to educate medics near their units of assignment.
This model worked in Ukraine from 2015 to 2021; the pandemic slowed it, and the Russian invasion destroyed it. This model uses Ukrainian trauma physicians and other experienced Ukrainian medical providers.
A budget of $2 million to $2.2 million is needed to purchase in the U.S. and ship to the academy medical training aids and pickup trucks for the mobile physician instructor teams.
The Columbus Foundation is managing the donor-advised fund, Frontline Medical Ukraine. To donate or learn more, go to: www.cbusfdn.org/frontline-medical-ukraine or [email protected].
In addition, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has supported Caritas Ukraine in its emergency efforts since the conflict began in 2014. Since the 2022 invasion, CRS partners Caritas Ukraine (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) and Caritas Spes (Roman Catholic Church) have supported nearly 4 million people. Support includes:
• Food assistance in field kitchens that provide hot lunches and snacks.
• Reception services at Caritas offices, train stations and other locations for displaced people to provide clothing, information, referrals, food, water, hygiene items and counseling services.
• Transportation of displaced families to friends, families and local social services.
• Evacuation centers that provide shelter, food, legal assistance and counseling services for displaced families. These centers include support to address emotional care and child-friendly spaces.
CRS also support relief efforts in Moldova, Romania, Poland, Hungary and the Balkans.
Your help is needed both within Ukraine and for those who flee to neighboring countries for safety and for people who have been displaced to safe areas, as well as conflict-affected residents in isolated settlements.
To support CRS and their partners, go to Help Ukrainian Families | Catholic Relief Services (crs.org). When you donate, you provide immediate assistance for your Ukrainian sisters and brothers. Your support and our prayers make a difference:
Grant victory over the powers of evil that have arisen and bless Ukraine with your gifts of liberty, peace, tranquility, and good fortune. We implore you, O Merciful God, look with grace upon those who courageously defend their land.
