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“While our mission focus remains on battling the ongoing pandemic and supporting our Soldiers, Airmen and families who are serving at home and abroad, today we pay tribute to a true patriot as we remember the life, service and sacrifice of Master Sgt. Nick Sheperty, who tragically passed away one year ago today,” said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the WVNG. “Nick’s memory lives on with each of us still and I ask all West Virginians to join us in remembrance of his contributions to this great state and our Nation. Let us also not forget the Gold Star Family that carries forth his legacy – we honor Nick’s family and loved ones and pray for comfort today and in the future.”
Since beginning operations in support of the state’s COVID-19 response 35 days ago, the WVNG has completed 447 missions through our four lines of effort of operationalizing of the event, stabilizing the population, providing logistical movement of critical supplies and conducting data analysis to combat the virus. Currently, 632 members of the WVNG are on duty serving the citizens of the State of West Virginia.
During Governor Justice’s daily press briefing, Hoyer announced that the WVNG has developed the Department of Defense’s first approved mobile COVID-19 testing lab. Guard personnel, including 1st Lt. Samantha Fabian, a Citizen-Soldier and doctoral candidate studying genetics and developmental biology, developed the idea for a rapid-response mobile laboratory that can test potential COVID-19 patients in roughly 15 minutes.
“I am extremely proud and impressed each day by the ingenuity and innovation that our Soldiers and Airmen display, especially in developing new ways to support the State’s efforts to battle COVID-19,” Hoyer said.
Two mobile testing labs will be up and running next week, once supplies are obtained, and will stage in two areas of the West Virginia – North and South – to respond to potential hot spots that require quick results.
The Guard is also quickly developing plans to meet the Governor’s direction to provide testing for all nursing homes, long-term care facilities and assisted living facilities in the state, as announced today through an Executive Order directing the National Guard to take the lead in this effort.
Our team of dedicated Soldiers and Airmen continue to focus our efforts on the most vulnerable populations and are working through plans with volunteer organizations to meet the growing demand being placed on food banks throughout West Virginia. The Guard and West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) are moving forward with opening a third food bank location in Poca in the coming weeks and the WVNG will be providing 12 refrigerated trailers to assist in this endeavor.
In the last 24 hours, we packed 2,260 food boxes at the Mountaineer Food Bank and 191 meals at the Facing Hunger Food Bank and delivered 22 totes of cereal to Maxwelton. Today, we will deliver 3,009 meals to Putnam County through our refrigerated trailers.
This week, members of the WVNG have provided assistance for sanitization of first responder vehicles from the Greater Kanawha Valley at Yeager Airport. Yesterday, the first Kanawha Valley Regional Transport vehicle went through the sanitization process and five additional KRT buses are scheduled for today.
Promising results from our innovation cell, known as Task Force Innovation, include a prototype N-95 mask from Shepard University as well as testing on a surgical gown being produced by Mustang Survival that can undergo sanitization for reuse. Collaboration is ongoing among the network of academic institutions, public and private industry and the WVNG to meet the demand for personal protective equipment in West Virginia.
Task Force Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) Response Enterprise (TF-CRE) provided assistance in the distribution of meals to veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center and also delivered 50 Tyvek suits to a nursing facility in Wayne County today. In addition, they provided training sessions for 11 long-term care facilities in the state and 17 retail trainings on proper cargo, box handling and PPE wear today. To date, this team has provided training to 570 stores and 2,179 personnel. TF-CRE continues to support COVID-19 testing in seven locations throughout West Virginia.
The number of personnel supporting the Workforce West Virginia mission remains the same and members will begin processing unemployment claims next week, while assisting the agency in implementation of new software to increase capabilities to assist West Virginians.
Our data analysts working with DHHR’s regional epidemiology teams were able to support 144 contact tracing engagements and eight expedited specimen transfers to track the spread of COVID-19 in West Virginia. To date, the seven Epidemiology teams have conducted more than 2,700 contract tracings. At the direction of Governor Justice, this team, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Resources, is refining the COVID-19 dashboard to highlight additional metrics for increased transparency and reporting.
All current and future missions performed by the WVNG are a part of a coordinated state-level public health preparation and response effort for the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, initiated by Governor Jim Justice, and being led by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
B-roll footage of current and ongoing WVNG missions are available at: www.dvidshub.net/units/wv-ang
| Date Taken: | 04.17.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.17.2020 16:33 |
| Story ID: | 367740 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, W.Va. Guard develops DoD’s first mobile COVID-19 testing lab, provides update on response efforts, by Maj. Holli Nelson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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