https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/03/18/active-duty-medical-units-on-alert-to-man-field-hospitals/?utm_source=clavis
21 hours ago
“The Defense Department has placed hundreds of medical personnel on alert and ordered the deployment of
two hospital ships to help
public health agencies shore up their capacity as the
coronavirus pandemic threatens to overwhelm community hospitals.
In addition to sending the USNS Mercy and Comfort to pandemic hotspots, active duty troops could help staff up to 1,000 beds’ worth of field hospitals around the country, the Joint Staff surgeon told reporters Wednesday, in response to requests from civilian public health agencies.”
[...]
“Meanwhile, the Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia-based Comfort will be pulled out of its current maintenance period to head up to New York, while the San Diego-based Mercy’s destination hasn’t been determined, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters.
“Our understanding is that the ships will be used to take non-coronavirus patients which, is what our staff is best organized to do,” Friedrichs said.”
[...]
“Thousands of National Guard troops have been activated across more than a dozen states in the past week, though not necessarily medical units, and tasked with running mobile testing centers and compiling care packages to deliver to vulnerable residents, for example.
[...]
“Any field hospitals set by up military units have a similar capability.
“These are all designed for combat casualty care, for taking care of deployed units,” Friedrichs said.”
