Photo By Tech. Sgt. Kasey Phipps | Oklahoma Army National Guard Sgt. Christopher Blakeman, 1245th Transportation Company,...... read more read more
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YUKON, Okla. — Service members from the Oklahoma National Guard worked alongside other state agency partners to ensure COVID-19 testing ran smoothly at a temporary testing site at Yukon Middle School in Yukon, Okla., this past week.
The Guardsmen helped in a wide range of duties, which included setup and teardown, traffic control, restocking, and even transportation of completed tests from other sites to the Oklahoma State University Diagnostic Laboratory in Stillwater, Okla.
“We're here helping the Canadian County Health Department at their mobile testing site for COVID-19,” explained Oklahoma Army National Guard Sgt. Sean Wooley, the noncommissioned officer in charge at the testing site and member of Headquarters Company, 345th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 90th Troop Command. "We brought several Soldiers out here, and we set up a traffic control point to help facilitate testing.”
In addition to the Oklahoma National Guard, the Canadian County Health Department worked with members of the Sheriff’s Office, Yukon Police Department, City of Yukon Public Works Department, Yukon Public Schools, and local emergency management, said Brandon Fetters, local emergency response coordinator for the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
“Partnerships are very important,” said Fetters. “I'm just one person, and it takes everyone to put something like this on. So, those partnerships are invaluable, and I just want to say thank you, really … It’s been awesome. I really do appreciate the help because, you know, it's very needed.”
Helping at every stage
The mobile testing sites, called points of dispensing (or PODs), are setup based off the need and demand for testing in the area, said Fetters. The City of Yukon had 50 people on a wait list for testing before the POD was established.
“So our first POD was in Garfield County, which is up in Enid,” said Fetters. “We did it there because there was less testing being done up there, and we wanted to kind of get an idea of what the numbers were. We thought that it was time that we come up here (to Yukon) and do a POD so that we can get people tested up here.”
The testing process began as soon as cars entered the parking lot of the school. Guardsmen were there to direct them through lines before they reached a “triage station.”
“At the triage, we'll ask them the qualifying questions…” explained Fetters. “So if you do meet those qualifications, then you can be tested and then you move forward to get tested. If you do not meet those, then you get screened out and you have to leave.”
In order to reduce physical contact and therefore possible transmission, individuals wanting to receive the tests are asked to call a cell phone number, which is then answered by an on-site nurse assigned to that particular line of cars. If they qualify for testing based on their responses, a neon green paper was placed under their windshield wiper, signaling Guardsmen farther up the line to direct them toward the back of the school where the swabbing and testing occurred near the stadium.
“Once you get where you can test, you park and wait,” continued Fetters. "Our nurses come out, they swab you, and it takes about a minute. Then you're gone. We try to keep people in their vehicles as long as possible. We want to make sure that their windows stay up and they stay in their vehicles until they are getting tested.”
The tests go directly to diagnostic testing, along with necessary identifying information, so that those tested can get the results in a timely manner. Guardsmen helped at this stage as well by transporting tests to the diagnostic labs.
“We’re here to make it go a little smoother, a little faster than it would have,” said Wooley. “Wherever they needed us is what we were here for.”
The Guard’s mission
For many of the Guardsmen, this is their first chance to serve their communities in a state active duty capacity.
“They're happy to be out here and doing it,” explained Wooley. “They're learning a lot … They’re getting a chance to actually help the community — which is part of the Guard's overall mission. So it's been a good learning experience for them.”
For others, the state’s whole-of-government response to COVID-19 is allowing them to help their communities in different ways. Capt. John Brown, an Oklahoma Army National Guardsman with the 145th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, 90th Troop Command, was activated for Hurricane Harvey recovery in the past, but this time he is serving his community during COVID-19 as the Operations Major for the Yukon Police Department.
Brown said he was able to use his experience in the National Guard to better assist the community in which he lives and works as a police officer.
“There have been experiences in the military that helped me be successful in the police department,” he said. “They both intertwine with each other, and I think that's what makes me who I am… So, the role between both jobs has prepared me to be a better police officer in this position.”
As someone who serves in both of his capacities — both with the Oklahoma National Guard and the Yukon Police Department — Brown has a deep respect for his community, especially for those impacted by COVID-19.
“My reasons for serving in the National Guard and as a law enforcement officer are to give back — give back to the community, help those that can't help themselves and use the experience between the two to be successful, from both the law enforcement perspective and from the National Guard perspective,” he said. “I want to take those experiences and make sure that we can keep serving the communities that we swore to serve.”
In support of the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Oklahoma National Guard continues to serve at testing sites around the state at the request of Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.
| Date Taken: | 04.17.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2020 11:55 |
| Story ID: | 368464 |
| Location: | YUKON, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 203 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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