NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee National Guard expanded its support to six more Tennessee hospitals fighting the COVID-19 pandemic this week. Guard members are now assisting 13 medical facilities across the state.
At the request of the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, nearly 55 additional Soldiers and Airmen from the Tennessee National Guard began supporting hospital staff with medics and administrative personnel.
Guardsmen can work in many types of hospital units and help with administrative tasks as required by the individual hospital. The assistance frees up civilian health care professionals to work more effectively.
Additional medical centers receiving National Guard support this week are Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, Regional One Health Medical Center in Memphis, and Methodist Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Center in Memphis.
More than 155 Tennessee National Guardsmen are supporting 13 medical centers statewide. There are an additional 425 Soldiers and Airmen supporting 58 Tennessee counties by assisting with COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and administrative support to health care providers at county health departments.
Since March 2020, the Soldiers and Airmen of the Tennessee National Guard have been working with the Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and other state and local agencies to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Thousands of Tennessee Guardsmen have volunteered to help during the pandemic. Over the past 17 months, 250 to 700 Guard members have supported the testing of more than 930,000 Tennesseans and the vaccination of over 1 million people.