PA National Guard Deployed To 10 Nursing Homes Hit By Coronavirus
PENNSYLVANIA — The Pennsylvania National Guard has played a pivotal role in the state's response to the coronavirus crisis, state officials said on Monday, outlining the extent of the efforts put forth by service members throughout the state.
Thus far the National Guard has been deployed to 10 nursing homes, in many cases filling in for employees who have to quarantine at home due to exposure to the virus. They're assisting with emergency and non-emergency care, and providing crucial support for a stressed healthcare system.
"We live here, we train here, we're proud to serve our fellow citizens in time of need," Pennsylvania National Guard Colonel Frank Montgomery said in a news conference Monday.
The Guard has a presence in 13 counties statewide. Its support has been lauded in facilities that have been especially hard hit, like the Southeastern Veterans Center in Chester County, the Brighton Wellness Center in Beaver County, and the Broomall Rehabilitation Nursing Center in Delaware County.
There have been 13,626 resident cases of coronavirus in nursing and personal care homes. There have also been 2,111 cases among employees, for a total of 15,737 cases at 561 facilities. Two thirds of all coronavirus deaths in the state have been in nursing homes.
In addition, the National Guard is running two alternate care sites and has distributed more than half a million meal kits
Of course, Guardsmen were also responsible for escorting home the 21 Pennsylvania residents who were aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship over the winter. That group was quarantined for weeks and moved from base to base across the country before finally being brought home.
Gov. Wolf also praised the work of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management in obtaining the Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System, which allows N95 masks to be washed up to 20 times. The system has been made available for free to healthcare facilities, first responders, and other eligible organizations. "I encourage organizations to take advantage of it," Gov. Wolf said Monday.
PEMA also helps to organize community testing sites in both Montgomery and Luzerne counties.
“This is just one example of the coordination efforts PEMA manages," PEMA director Randy Padfield said in a statement. "We remain committed to assisting the Department of Health, other state agencies, and counties with responding to the COVID-19 crisis and to mitigating the secondary and tertiary effects of such a long term and complex crisis.”
PEMA and the National Guard work closely together on many of these missions, including testing sites, food distribution, nursing home aid, and more.
The National Guard may also deploy to assist as polling place volunteers for the June 2 primary. Officials note they will be in plain clothes.
This article originally appeared on the Norristown Patch
