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Approximately 20 medics with the Florida National Guard attended a training course Tuesday, March 17th at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines, Florida to learn how to don and doff personal protective equipment (PPE) required for medical personnel administering tests to detect COVID-19. These medics also learned how to properly collect samples for testing and followup storage procedures.
After completing the training, the medics returned and passed on their newly-acquired knowledge to the nearly 200 medics waiting at the National Guard Readiness Center in Miramar, Florida. This training will be instrumental in providing free COVID-19 tests and pre-screening to Florida residents at the National Guard's Community-Based Testing Site (CBTS) in nearby C.B. Smith park starting Friday, March 20th.
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Interview Transcription
SGT Marc Morgenstern:
What took place here today?
Sari Trotman, Emergency Department Clinical Nurse Specialist:
So, Memorial Health Care System partnered with the National Guard to conduct some training exercises. Basically, we will be utilizing C.B. Smith Park closeby and we will be testing residents that need to rule out whether they have the COVID-19 virus. There is a screening process that is going to take place in the park – I don’t know the logistics of it, but what we did today is we trained the trainer. So we had about 20 National Guard and we trained them so that they can go back and train about 183 of their colleagues to go into the park and do the testing with our support.
SGT Marc Morgenstern:
How do you feel about working together with the National Guard?
Martha Payan, Emergency Management Registered Nurse:
It is an honor for us to do that. We appreciate every single thing that you do for us, and it is extremely important that we can have a very good relationship and how we’re going to be able to work together and be able to respond together for whatever thing that comes up.
SGT Marc Morgenstern:
Why do you feel it’s important that the community works together with the National Guard?
Sari:
Well, it’s important for us to utilize all the resources that we can get. You know, this is a pandemic, and we need to take it seriously. And we really appreciate and value your help, your contribution to help us to do this in the park and get residents tested, as many as we can. So, we feel it’s really important because we want to control this pandemic as soon as we can.
Martha:
One of the important things is that Memorial Healthcare System is very big in community affairs, so we always work together with the community. For us, the community also has to do with our EMS, our fire, FBI, and everybody that can help us have a purpose to be able to serve the community and if we do it in a way that we can plan together, we’ll have a better response.
SGT Marc Morgenstern:
What would you say to a Florida resident who's worried or fearful of COVID-19 and everything that's been going on?
Martha:
It’s extremely important to be calm. It’s extremely important to be able to understand what’s going on. If you follow the CDC guidelines, if you need information, go to a site that will be able to give you what needs to be followed. Unfortunately, a lot of times, the news gives certain news that are conflicting and that helps for the people to be more scared. Go to the right places to get the information, ask your provider if you need anything, prepare but don’t panic. We cannot do anything by panicking. We need to just prepare ourselves, make sure we’re taking care of ourselves and our families. Wash your hands, try not to touch your face, try to do the things that you usually do, this is something we can do as a community if we follow the right way to do it.
Sari:
Like Martha said, first thing you want to do is keep yourself safe. Washing your hands, good hand washing, and limiting the amount of people you’re exposed to, at the moment. And those are the big things you want to do. If you happen to have symptoms, and you feel sick, and you have a cough, you have a fever, you want to seek medical help. You can contact the health department, request testing, or you can go to your emergency room, you can utilize the testing sites that we have, go onto the CDC website and see what those guidelines are cause right now we are still following those guidelines. But first thing you want to do is stay safe, wash hands, and limit the amount of exposure that you have and limit the amount of exposure to, if you’re sick, to people who are immune compromised, so you want to do that as well. The elderly, anyone who’s sick as well, you want to stay away from them if you have symptoms, so those are the things that you should do for now.
SGT Marc Morgenstern:
Anything you would like to add?
Martha:
I think one of the most important things as a community that we need to do is that we need to make sure that if we have anybody in our community who’s self isolating, that if you’re not and you can help, that you’re asking your elderly people or anybody “Can I get anything from the store for you, do you need anything?” Being able to have a community approach is going to be very important.
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2020 06:51 |
| Category: | Interviews |
| Video ID: | 743855 |
| VIRIN: | 200317-Z-CV219-1002 |
| Filename: | DOD_107736872 |
| Length: | 00:04:44 |
| Location: | US |
| Downloads: | 1 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 1 |
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