Photo By Staff Sgt. Leia Tascarini | Soldiers from the 256th Medical Company Area Support remove supplies from a transport...... read more read more
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With increasing need for COVID-19 testing in elder care facilities, the Florida National Guard’s 50th Regional Support Group (RSG), was tasked with mobilizing the first Florida Guard Mobile Test Teams (MTT) to respond to the testing needs of assisted living and skilled nursing facilities at their locations.
Assisted living facilities and nursing homes provide housing for people who need various levels of medical and personal care, and are typically older adults at higher risk. These types of facilities require additional assistance with COVID-19 testing due to the guidelines set forth at many of the Community Based Testing Sites which are providing drive-thru testing only.
“Our residents are home bound and they cannot leave the facility, they are a vulnerable population with specific needs,” said Barbara Galindo, administrator for the Residential Plaza for Elderly at Blue Lagoon in Miami. “Working with the Guard has been amazing, we are very grateful that the [Guard] is here to get everyone tested.”
The mission of the Florida Guard’s MTTs is to support testing for those living in the facilities that cannot otherwise get tested at a CBTS or health care provider. While the first tests were conducted in Miami-Dade County, facilities in other counties will also be taking part.
“During the initial phase of this operation, two teams deployed in Miami-Dade to facilitate the testing of staff and residents at assisted living and skilled nursing homes,” said Sgt. Arielle Tango, 256th MCAS. “Our goal is to ensure the community is taken care of, it’s humbling to see all the different entities come together to support the mission.”
The MTT’s will travel to pre-approved facilities to conduct testing on site. The teams will bring with them necessary personal protective equipment, as well as testing kits to swab residents and staff within the facilities. Each MTT consists of a screener, a tester, a collector and a scribe.
The Florida Guard currently has over 2,000 Guardsmen on active duty in support of Florida’s COVID-19 response. During the response the FLNG has administered over 36,000 sample collections and is assisting the Florida Department of Health in conducting screening at seven airports.
| Date Taken: | 04.10.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2020 16:54 |
| Story ID: | 367188 |
| Location: | FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 193 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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