EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- While walking through the 354th Medical Group, past flight medicine, the dental clinic and the pharmacy, deep in the shadowy halls is a hidden gem – the medical materials flight.
These Airmen work tirelessly behind-the-scenes to ensure the Icemen Team and their families have the best equipment and supplies to treat them.
“Medical materials is similar to material management,” said Senior Airman Tyler Rizzo, a 354th Medical Support Squadron medical material technician. “We procure, receive, store and deliver medical supplies or equipment throughout the medical facility and across the base to outlying units.”
Everything from defibrillators to first aid kits, all items cross the eyes of several medical material Airmen before making its way to various agencies.
“A lot of our job is conducting research to try and find supplies that will save the Air Force money, but still provide top care,” said Rizzo. “We research different vendors, find supplies or alternate supplies and present the best options to the providers.”
With very minimal personnel, even the newest members of this medical focal point jump in and get to work.
“They are going to train me in the medical equipment material office,” said Senior Airman Anthony Avalos, a 354th MDSS medical material technician. “It’s very different from what I did at my last base, but I’ll be learning to keep track of all the medical assets and inventory.”
The biggest hurdle Rizzo encounters is getting the supplies in on time. He said many of their vendors don’t ship strictly to military facilities, so items can become backordered and then it’s a race to find other supplies so patient care isn’t halted.
Even though their career field isn’t well-known, these Airmen take pride in knowing they have a very important job.
“The mission can’t start without us,” said Rizzo. “Providers can’t provide the utmost care without proper supplies, and personnel can’t deploy without the proper vaccinations. We are a vital life-line for all medical care.”