KRISTEN UPPERCUE
[ coronavirus ]
Photo by Edwin Wriston .
West Virginia ’ s Swiss
Army Knife
The West Virginia National Guard is charged with providing organized , trained and equipped units to protect life and preserve public safety in the Mountain State . Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic , more than 700 Guard members have been activated to conduct diverse missions ranging from testing and sanitizing to reimagining personal protective equipment .
When Governor Jim Justice appointed Major General James Hoyer to West Virginia ’ s coronavirus task force , he gave him a twofold mission : find creative solutions to the state ’ s current problems that can also be parlayed into opportunities for the future .
The pandemic exasperated many of the challenges West Virginia was facing long before it began , including health care and broadband deficits . In March , the West Virginia National Guard ( WVNG ) began implementing several new initiatives — including creating N95-equivalent masks , 3D printing supplies and finding innovative ways to clean and sanitize first responder vehicles and long-term care facilities — in an effort to help stabilize the number of positive coronavirus cases . These efforts also play a role in the governor ’ s commission to help the state become more self-sufficient in filling the gaps broadened by COVID-19 . “ It ’ s been a long , hard effort ,” says Hoyer . Responding to the pandemic has been a statewide effort .
The Guard continues to work closely with local health departments , county emergency managers , higher education institutions and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources ( DHHR ) to implement these initiatives .
As of September 9 , the WVNG had completed 2,007 missions across the state , which include 220 sanitization missions in long-term care facilities and disinfecting more than 600 public transport and emergency response vehicles as well as conducting COVID-19 tests for more than 47,500 individuals .
“ The concept we are using is to try to biopsy the community and see where the problems are ,” says Hoyer . “ I think the biggest benefit to West Virginia is for us to continue pulling all the Guard ’ s talent together and pushing it out to respond .”
Leading the Nation
Thanks to the Guard ’ s efforts , West Virginia was the first state in the nation to launch coronavirus mobile testing labs , each of which are equipped to provide faster results to the COVID-19
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