Photo By Staff Sgt. Edward Siguenza | A California Army National Guard medic with Joint Task Force 749 (Hope), Joint Task...... read more read more
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SACRAMENTO, Calif — Medics, physicians and administrators with the California National Guard’s Joint Task Force 115 will soon be equipped with operational camouflage pattern hospital scrubs that will enhance their critical abilities during this COVID-19 era and distinguish them from their civilian counterparts.
It’s an opportunity to acknowledge and validate all the hard work that our medical personnel have done since the beginning of the COVID situation last year,” said U.S. Army Maj. Dalia Sanchez, a logistics officer with the 115th Regional Support Group.
Hundreds of Cal Guard medical staff will be issued OCP scrubs this month, according to Sanchez. The medical uniforms will model a standard hospital scrub — solid-colored gowns worn by civilian doctors and nurses — but they’ll be digital camouflage patterned.
For over a year, Cal Guard medics with Joint Task Force 115 have been testing and vaccinating Californians while wearing typical hospital gear that often gets them mistaken for civilians, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Maria M. Ignacio the inoculation commander of the task force. But the most critical concern is exposure to coronavirus, or other diseases.
“Service members should be wearing only scrubs during work hours at a facility to prevent cross contamination,” Ignacio explained. “Scrubs help limit the spread of not only COVID-19, but other infectious diseases such as pneumonia, influenza, pertussis, etc. Also, by wearing scrubs, you can easily identify bodily fluids such as blood.”
Ignacio added that troops have worked more than 45,000 hours since the mission began, with many service members working missions that put them at risk for potential infections.
“It’s also imperative for service members to maintain cleanliness in such situations,” she added. “Garments being worn should not be worn back to back without being thoroughly washed.”
Each medical staffer will be issued three sets of OCP scrubs, Sanchez explained. It’ll be part of their regular OCIE, which has never been done in Cal Guard, she added.
“It really should be part of their OCIE,” Sanchez added. “I mean, they’re medical professionals. They deserve to have a uniform that reflects their actual skills.”
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.03.2021 12:50 |
| Story ID: | 397810 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 416 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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