150 Connecticut National Guard Soldiers, including the Sentinel’s own Peter Negrea and others from Greenwich, were called up to state active duty to assist with the COVID-19 response. Today, they “in-processed” and starting tomorrow, they will begin helping build medical surge facilities around the state.
According to Captain Dave Pytlik, Public Affairs Officer for the Connecticut National Guard, “Our role is logistical support to the lead state agency (Department of Public Health).”
The National Guard has been been fulfilling requests for assistance (RFAs) since the Governor’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency on March 10, 2020.
Today, the National Guard called up a larger group in order to help build medical surge capabilities at larger facilities including Southern Connecticut State University and Western Connecticut State University of approximately 250-300 beds each.
The Connecticut National Guard reports that they have three overarching missions:
1) Logistical support. This includes inventorying donations, distributing ventilators, distributing personal protective equipment and managing a warehouse of essential and medical supplies to support the state’s health system.
2) Building Medical Surge Capacity. Helping to set up these open areas to house patients all over the state and will continue to work with the State and the Army Corps of Engineers to identify and develop new spaces and capacity.
3) Medical planning. The National Guard has a team of talented Guardsmen that also work in industry and they are bringing that civilian and military experience into the field, supporting the Department of Public Health (DPH). They do forecasting and modeling every day to provide planning, guidance, and insight.
Captain Pytlik explained the process by which the National Guard provides assistance. He said, “state agencies identify things they want us to do or that they need help with and they ask us.” This is called a request for assistance or RFA. The next step he said, is for the National Guard to validate the mission, staff it by identifying units, people, and equipment needed to support the RFA, and then carry out the RFA as a mission.
This past weekend in New Britain, Connecticut National Guard soldiers helped turn a 175,000 square foot warehouse into a primary distribution center for personal protective equipment, medical supplies, and medical equipment for distribution throughout the state.
The first Soldiers arrived at the location Saturday, March 28, and operations were up and running by Monday morning. In total, 22 Soldiers are supporting three shifts at the warehouse for 24-hour operations.
To date the National Guard has:
- Distributed Personal Protective Equipment (belonging to DPH and an advanced shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE) from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS))
- Distributed ventilators
- Set up 2x of DPH’s Mobile Field Hospitals (St. Francis and Danbury)
- Set up climate controlled tents for patient overflow at VA Hospitals in West Haven and Newington
- Established a commodities and medical supply warehouse. Contractors will distribute the goods.
- Transported medical beds to the Mobile Field Hospitals
- Provided for donation inventory and accountability
- Offered medical planning and predictive analysis in coordination with DPH
- Received an “FMS” (Federal Medical Station) from Department of Health and Human Services, that will be set up in a Field House at SCSU tomorrow.
According to Master Sgt. Nicole Mackay, 143rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, “Everybody is stepping up as team players right now. We’re in collaboration with the civilian workers here, and every day we’re working and improving our operation, and hopefully making a positive impact every day we come to work.”
