Posted on Mar 19, 2020
Active duty medical units on alert to man field hospitals
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“We did not put reserve units on alert at this time because we’re sensitive to the competing demand,” Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs said, after several days of discussions over whether to activate National Guard and service Reserve medical troops, who often work as doctors, nurses and other community medical professional roles in their civilian careers.
“I don’t think we know at this point,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said of how the mix of military assets will be used. “We’re eager to hear the exact requirement and see what it is.”
If deployed, [Army mobile hospitals] would be used to care for non-intensive care unit patients who are already in hospitals, or [to] divert new, non-critical patients from being admitted into a brick-and-mortar hospital.
“I don’t think we know at this point,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said of how the mix of military assets will be used. “We’re eager to hear the exact requirement and see what it is.”
If deployed, [Army mobile hospitals] would be used to care for non-intensive care unit patients who are already in hospitals, or [to] divert new, non-critical patients from being admitted into a brick-and-mortar hospital.
Active duty medical units on alert to man field hospitals
Posted from militarytimes.com
Coronavirus COVID19
Reserves
Posted >1 y ago
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MAJ (Join to see)
Probably haven’t done so because many of them man civilian positions in their communities doing the same job and also they wouldn’t want to have to quarantine them for 2 weeks after the operation ends and keep them from their communities. Also probably not best to have people from multiple areas of a state and other states traveling and congregating for spreading a virus.
I guess we will wait and see.
I guess we will wait and see.
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SSG (Join to see)
MAJ (Join to see) - True but you could call up units in areas that are not hit that hard. In my area there has not been a confirmed case with int a 2 hour drive of my town so far.
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MAJ Montgomery Granger
Good point. I have reached out to federal and military authorities, my senators and representative to encourage them to consider activating retired reserve and other medical military who could run field hospitals, etc., for non-corona patients in fixed hospitals, so that the civilian health care system can focus on the pandemic.
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Good thinking there. Most of those troops probably do work civilian medical jobs.
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Would these deployed units setup the field hospitals or attempt to secure existing brick & mortar buildings in the community that could be occupied instead?
William Zopff
SSG, USA Retired
William Zopff
SSG, USA Retired
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MAJ Montgomery Granger
I suppose both are possible. Since it's springtime, and fresh air and sunlight are supposed to help sick people get better, I would vote for tents. They would NOT be taking coronavirus patients, only those NOT infected in order to make room for corona patients in fixed hospitals with ICU and other critical care capabilities.
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