Photo By John Hughel | Oregon Army National Guard Sgt. Ryan Kill administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a...... read more read more
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SALEM, Ore. - Nearly two months into Gov. Kate Brown’s activation of the National Guard to support the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, Oregon citizen-soldiers and airmen have now vaccinated over 100,000 residents.
With the initial call up of more than 40 Oregon Guardsmen on Jan. 8, additional service members have been mobilized around the state to support the expanding demand for the COVID-19 vaccine. After the primary vaccination site opened at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem on Jan. 12, a total of six designated mass vaccination sites are now open throughout the Beaver State, which includes an increased volume of Guard members aiding the largest site at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
As the numbers of military medical workers are increasing, additional Guardsmen have been trained to assist the 211 Call Center, a local community information center connecting people with health and social service organizations. The service members are now answering phone calls to help provide information about testing, vaccinations, appointments, and other community resources strained by the pandemic.
These Oregon Guard members’ make-up part of the overall national force of nearly 20,000 total National Guard members currently activated to support COVID-19 testing and vaccine response efforts across the country. On Feb. 5, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin announced that 1,100 active duty service members would join them at designated high-density locations.
The number of active duty troops along with National Guardsmen will continue to climb to meet President Joseph R. Biden’s goal of vaccinating 1.5 million Americans each day. This is an increase by 50% from his original goal to immunize at least 1 million per day during his first 100 days in office.
To date, over 662,000 Oregonians have been vaccinated with the first of two rounds of approved Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines. So far, about 15.7% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, about 7.9% have received both doses, according to CDC reports. The Oregon statistics mirror these national averages.
In addition to 100,000 Oregonians vaccinated by Guardsmen, Joint Task Force Guardian has 226 service members assigned to four different sites around the state supporting COVID-19 operations helping in administrative, call support, and scheduling efforts, as well as traffic control assistance at drive-in max vaccination locations.
“It clearly makes sense to have the National Guard help with vaccinations and other support for pandemic needs,” said Col. John Maddox, Oregon Army National Guard State Surgeon and JTF Commander. “This unburdens health care workers, freeing them up in many communities and allowing them to focus on the care of the sick.”
The six mass vaccination sites have been placed at key areas around the state and are flexing their operations based on the supply of the vaccine. Resources and staff can be moved from one site to another as they shift focus based on the first dose and second dose factors.
“Depending on the site, our members are administering 60-70% of the vaccines,” said Maddox, explaining the practice of flexing members from site to site. “Not every site is open every day, we have some that are open for a week and then will be closed for a week while more vaccine supplies are provided to the state.”
As with any new vaccine, there is a hesitancy to trust the safety and effectiveness of the shot. There is also a tentativeness with some members of the community to have Guardsmen administer their vaccine or to see their personal information.
“It’s been great working with our partners in the medical community but for some residents, this is their first encounter with members of the military,” said Maddox, describing some of the inherent challenges. “I think there were specific questions early on from some that we are not training a vehicle mechanic or other non-medical MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) Soldier or Airman to administer the vaccine.”
"We are sending high trained and qualified medical providers to these sites to support the community's need,” he said, reiterating the preparation of the military medical staff. “Overall, the experience has been exceptional, it really underscores our professionalism and adaptability."
One of the mass vaccination clinics that have flexed is the Lane County site in Eugene. There has been a series of week-on, week-off distributions of the COVID-19 vaccine depending on the supply and vaccination phase.
“This phase is a four-day vaccination clinic for Phase 1A, and we were able to facilitate a large number of people with the help of the National Guard,” said Karen Gaffney, Lane County Health and Human Services Director during the second weekend of distribution from Jan. 21-24. “We have about 25 members of the National Guard here for this clinic along with [Lane County Sheriff] Search and Rescue as we try and distribute over 7,400 shots.”
The support of the Oregon National Guard has emphasized the broader theme of ‘neighbors-helping-neighbors.’ Army Staff Sgt. Nathan Palin noted that he vaccinated one of his middle school teachers at the drive thru clinic. “I haven’t seen him in twenty years so it was kind of cool, but one of those unexpected coincidences we encounter in our communities.”
In the early phases, health care workers, including family members of caretakers, medically fragile, and teachers are being vaccinated at these clinics. To ensure all of the vaccines are used each day, a roster of health care workers on staff are also vaccinated to amplify the safety of those who administer the vaccine. Oregon Guardsmen have been eager to sign up to guarantee that no vaccines are wasted and can be fully vaccinated themselves, assuring public safety and confidence in the process.
Maj. Gen. Michael Stencel, Adjutant General, Oregon toured the Oregon Convention Center site on Feb. 1, to get an up-close assessment of how the Guard members are working with OHA staff and walk-in patients.
“After we build a large base [of operations] as we have here in Portland and in Salem, do we need to double down here to meet the population demand, or do we prioritize in other areas?” he asked senior OHA managers during the site visit.
Helping coordinate the staff of military members at the Convention Center, Air National Guard Lt. Col. Torree McGowan told Maj. Gen. Stencel that having a unified plan is challenging while matching staff to the demand by the public is based upon the available supply of the vaccine on any given day.
“If we had enough vaccines on hand, we would have a line down the stairs and out the door,” she said, standing on the steps of a vast atrium at the Oregon Convention Center. “We can flex our members to other regional areas depending on the availability, but we are on a week-by-week plan right now with the vaccine we have on hand.”
With the pace of the two approved vaccines increasing, the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 single-dose vaccine will soon be available to the public after being approved by the FDA for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
“I really believe this is the biggest focus for the new (Biden) administration -- getting the vaccine manufactured and delivered,” said Stencel. “I want our people to pace themselves for the long run, it may take until June and July before supply meets demand.”
Just as challenging as vaccine shipments and distribution, is communication to the public. Helping support 211 Information, additional Oregon Guardsmen were tasked to help fill a backlog of calls and a gap in staffing.
The most important characteristic of the 211 Information services is the availability to talk to a live person. Guard members will be on the phones to provide that reassurance, creating more lines open to callers.
In an interview on Feb. 5, 2021, with KATU 2 Television, 211 Information CEO Dan Herman said that the Oregon National Guard will help significantly even though it will take more than one day to help with the enormous demand.
“I feel better than a few days ago, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty," said Herman. "I think the more we can message around modulating the call demand then that is helpful…the Oregon National Guard is going to make a difference."
By February 8th members were already taking calls having trained the weekend before. For now, the mission is slated for 12-weeks and within the first week, the case backlog was nearly eliminated.
“We showed up on day one and dived in, just like we always do as Guard members,” said Lt. Col. Kelly Barton, Officer in Charge of the 211 Information call center. “Everyone here [at 211info] was so welcoming and several of our members put in extra hours to take calls the first day.”
A traditional Guardsman, Barton is assigned as the 142nd Wing Force Support Squadron commander. She said this assignment gives her a chance to work with a joint team and make an instant impact in the community.
“We’re focused just on COVID-19 vaccinations and that data is changing every day,” she said, underscoring again how the demand for the vaccine creates a vacuum of information on a daily basis. “We have to learn where we need to look for the most current data and maneuverer the system--and get that information to the clients.”
When senior leaders visited the team on Feb. 11, they found an enthusiastic crew still learning the ropes but taking on the new assignment.
As the COVID task force mission continues to expand around the state, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation hosted a two-day mass vaccination clinic on Feb. 23-24 where 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were ready to be administered with the help of the Oregon National Guard. The multi-jurisdictional operation was aided by 18 Guard members to help vaccinate the community with their first dose and will return in three weeks to administer the second dose.
“Our Soldiers and Airmen demonstrate our motto again and again of ‘Always Ready, Always There,’” said Chief Master Sgt. Dan Conner, Oregon National Guard Chief Senior Enlisted Leader. He emphasized this is just one more unique Coronavirus domestic operation the Oregon National Guard has been asked to respond to.
“We have been active in setting up field hospitals, delivering PPE, working with our tribal communities, and even assisting in employment insurance claims,” he said summarizing past mission tasks. “The citizens of Oregon can rest assured that when the Oregon National Guard is called up, we’ll pitch in wherever we’re needed to get the job done.”
| Date Taken: | 03.03.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2021 23:52 |
| Story ID: | 390513 |
| Location: | SALEM, OR, US |
| Web Views: | 441 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Oregon Guardsmen expand COVID-19 vaccinations, support efforts statewide, by John Hughel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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