Photo By Staff Sgt. Bethany Rizor | U.S. Army Specialist Liam Martin, HHC 126th Infantry Regiment medic administers the...... read more read more
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- “Joint Task Force Bronco,” centered at the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, is working with local health departments and hospitals to administer COVID-19 vaccines with timeliness, safety, and efficiency as they are made available to communities across Southwest Michigan.
The Michigan National Guard has worked closely with the State of Michigan over the past year to provide communities with resources needed to support residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Army Sgt. Steven Landfair, an HHC 125th Infantry Regiment medic with the Michigan National Guard said, “This is a great opportunity to get out in the community and provide a service for the people in Michigan.”
Joint Task Force Bronco consists of Army and Air National Guard members from across Michigan covering multiple positions to resolve challenges the clinics face in the vaccination process.
“We were really lacking in our data entry process,” Penny Born, operations section chief at the Kalamazoo Expo Center said. “It took a weight off our shoulders to know that the National Guard could streamline that for us.”
Over 30,000 residents 65 years and older are on a waitlist in Southwest Michigan to receive the double dose COVID-19 vaccine.
“These nurses are volunteering on top of their clinical positions,” said Bill Busso, a retired anesthesiologist volunteering at the clinic as he expressed his appreciation for the National Guard presence. “Some of these volunteers need the relief.”
Busso displayed great satisfaction in sharing his painless technique with other National Guard medics, a skill he has mastered over 35 years in the medical field.
According to the Michigan COVID-19 Vaccination Interim Prioritization Guidance on Michigan.gov, frontline workers, teachers, and high-risk individuals are in the top three tiers to receive vaccines.
Christy Winkle and Aubrey Norman, teachers from Schoolcraft, Mich., accompanied other colleagues to the clinic with hope that the vaccine will help them get back to a somewhat normal school life.
“It's great to see the National Guard helping,” Winkle said excitedly, “they are so efficient!”
“As teachers, we have been eager to get the vaccine,” Norman said. “The more hands on deck the better.”
As vaccines are manufactured and distributed, health departments and hospitals are coordinating with local partners and the National Guard to make sure they are staffed to manage the number of vaccines they receive.
Between medical staff, Michigan National Guard personnel, volunteers, and patients the expo floor is organized and triaged according to CDC guidelines.
“We have done a few of these already,” said Born, “and with each one the process is becoming smoother.”
The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department has hosted two clinics at the Expo Center and plan to host as many as possible in the future, with the help of all of community partners.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Leonard Uller, Joint Task Force Bronco commander with the Michigan Air National Guard said, "This is an excellent example of how the Michigan National Guard, consisting of both Air Force and Army servicemembers, partners with the local health community to combat the COVID-19 pandemic."
| Date Taken: | 02.03.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.10.2021 13:30 |
| Story ID: | 388747 |
| Location: | KALAMAZOO, MI, US |
| Web Views: | 132 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, “Joint Task Force Bronco:” a community partner for COVID-19 vaccines, by SSgt Bethany Rizor, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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