DENISON, Iowa – Members of the Iowa National Guard screened hundreds of residents in Crawford County for COVID-19 by nasal swab or antibody testing May 11-22.
A team of Airmen from the 132d Medical Group, 132d Force Support Squadron and 132d Security Forces Squadron set up and operated a Joint Mobile Screening Center in Denison.
“We are mission capable to complete any aspect of those tests and completely portable,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Grant, 132d Medical Group flight surgeon.
Patients showed up at a prearranged time with a code. Once their identity was verified, the screening was administered and the swab tagged and bagged with the unique code.
When the screenings were completed each day, they were transported by an Iowa Army National Guard mobilization team to Iowa City. As of May 14, the team had tested approximately 500 Iowans.
“Crawford County is our targeted area,” said Grant. “There is an agricultural business industry in this area, which makes it especially important for us to screen.”