On March 10, 2020, the Connecticut National Guard mobilized forces to provide support to the Connecticut Department of Public Health and local hospitals. Connecticut National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, New England Disaster Training Center personnel, and members of the 1st and 2nd Governor’s Foot Guard, and 1st Governor’s Horse Guard have been working around the clock since March 10th, to assist the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a scene that might appear in a Hollywood movie, mobile field hospitals were built and staged to be used as recovery centers, Soldiers inventoried and configured Department of Public Health regional support trailers around the state, and portable beds and linen were sent to the erected mobile field hospitals. A 175,000 square foot warehouse was turned into a primary distribution center to house supplies in order to respond to the growing needs from the state as well. Ventilators were sent to area hospitals, medical masks delivered to ambulance and Emergency Medical Technician companies, and protective masks, gowns, and face shields continue to be distributed to healthcare workers and first responders throughout the state. Soldiers then went above and beyond to assist the Connecticut State Police by donating blood at the Red Cross blood drive staged at the State Police Academy.
The pandemic is real and its effects can be felt across the state, the nation, and the world. As COVID-19 took hold, Connecticut’s leadership sprang into action. The Connecticut National Guard once again answered the call of duty in order to provide resources and personnel to the state in this time of need. As healthcare systems across the state maintain their day-to-day operations, they have become overwhelmed with the need to also meet the demands of COVID-19.
While States are doing their best to diminish the force of this pandemic, citizens will continue to suffer from real world medical issues. Traumas, cardiac events, cancer, and other serious medical conditions do not take a break during a pandemic. These scenarios alone are enough to stress the healthcare systems already in place, and in order to decrease the level of stress on those healthcare systems, the Connecticut National Guard will continue to provide assets and personnel as needed.
One of these assets is the Connecticut National Guard Medical Planning Team, which continues to work with state partners and healthcare providers to address the inevitable influx of patients that the local hospitals across the state have been starting to experience and will continue to experience as this pandemic takes hold. The medical surge capability that the National Guard has provided to date has increased the number of hospital beds across the state by approximately 650 mobile field hospital beds in order for local hospitals to meet the needs of the influx. Each day the National Guard continues to work to meet the increasing demands of the pandemic in support of the state and the health of its citizens.
“We have a task force comprised of Connecticut Army National Guard Medical Planners and personnel from the Department of Public Health to identify surge facility locations, order supplies to outfit them for use, and support our local and state partnerships in staffing them. We are leaning forward to have these facilities ready to go before Connecticut hits its peak, potentially with COVID-19 infections, with some models projected from mid to late April.” said Major Elizabeth Turner, Executive Officer for the 118th Medical Battalion in Middletown, CT.
Experts have predicted that the number of COVID-19 infections will potentially double every 3 to 5 days, with the peak of the pandemic in Connecticut still to come. Governor Ned Lamont has activated members of the Connecticut Guard in order to provide the state with support in its COVID-19 emergency response under state activation and will continue to do so as more support is needed. Lamont will continue to utilize the guard in coordination with Connecticut’s Adjutant General, Major General Fran Evon. The guard has deployed its resources to find ways to surge the medical capability of the state, based on continuous predictive analysis on how many of the states’ citizens could be impacted by the virus, with support from the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
| Date Taken: | 04.08.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2020 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 366858 |
| Location: | CT, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Connecticut National Guard deploys medical equipment, personnel across state in response to COVID-19, by Maj. Dawn Surprenant, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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