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City of Henderson officials say about 235-245 troops will be a part of the second coming of the Innovative Readiness Training mission in Henderson—as well as in Webster and Union counties—that will occur in mid-June.
That’s a much bigger contingent than what came to offer health care to residents during the June 2024 IRT mission held at South Middle School, said officials at Tuesday’s Henderson City Commission meeting. This June’s mission, which will open for residents on June 11, will be at North Middle School.
The health care provided by the mission is free.
The 2024 mission deployed 171 service members to Henderson, and they totaled 18,158 hours of training during 10 days of clinical care, according to a previous Hendersonian article.
June 2024’s mission helped 1,642 patients, provided 34,161 procedures and gave out 917 eyeglasses—and saved residents some $1 million in health care costs, according to the article.
An IRT mission is a partnership with a community in which United States military personnel provide assistance that will serve to make the military mission ready, according to the IRT website. A community,meanwhile, provides facilities, materials, basic services and other necessities for the military to carry out its training, said the site.
To prepare, the city of Henderson has been gathering funding from participating local governments. Assistant City Manager Buzzy Newman said Tuesday that funding gathered includes $35,000 from the city of Henderson, $15,000 each from Henderson, Webster and Union county governments, and $33,000 from the Delta Regional Authority, which helps to coordinate the effort.
The Green River Area Development District also assists in the effort.
The funding will go to rent some of the extra equipment needed to accommodate the troops that will be in the area. That includes a 13-unit shower trailer and an 11-unit shower trailer as well as a laundry trailer, which holds six washing machines and six dryers.
A core group of military personnel will arrive in Henderson on June 7 to begin the mission setup, while the main body of personnel will arrive on June 10.
IRT missions often provide medical assistance or construction assistance, but they also can address other needs in a community.
As what occurred in 2024, this June’s mission here will be medical, and according to Newman, general medical, dental, vision and hearing care will be provided. Additionally, the mission will provide mental health assistance, which is an option that was not provided in 2024.
The mission, however, will not include veterinary services as it did in 2024, Newman said.
According to a flyer supplied by the city, residents can start receiving care on June 11, and the mission will last until June 21. On weekdays, the mission opens at 10 a.m. and will close at 6 p.m. On Saturdays and Sunday, the mission opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m.
On June 17, the mission will hold its distinguished visitor’s day when high-ranking military personnel tour the site and appraise the work that’s being done. There’s a chance that Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will attend this day, too, as he was in Henderson in 2024 for this day. “This is one of the best efforts of giving back to the community the city has ever done, and the fact that they’re back so soon is just a testament to your hard word,” Mayor Brad Staton told city employees who have been working on bringing the mission back to Henderson.
