Spc. Anthony Spencer with the Tennessee National Guard prepares a vaccination dose for a patient at the Trousdale County Health Department on June 9.
Airman 1st Class Marialuz Deavers, a combat medic with Nashville’s 118th Medical Group, fills a syringe with a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Cookeville. Deavers has been administering COVID-19 tests and vaccines since March 2020, when Gov. Bill Lee activated the Tennessee National Guard to support the Tennessee Department of Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pfc. William Orton, a cavalry scout assigned to Newport’s O Troop, 4th Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, explains the COVID-19 vaccination process to a resident in Decatur on June 15. Orton has assisted several sites since he joined the COVID-19 Task Force in February.
Sgt. Joseph Brummett, a combat medic with Henderson’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, prepares to administer a COVID-19 vaccination in Jasper on June 15. Brummett has participated in the Tennessee National Guard’s COVID-19 Task Force since April 2020.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Soldiers and Airmen of the Tennessee National Guard have been working alongside and supporting the Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and various other state and local agencies to combat the spread of COVID-19 since March 2020.
Thousands of Tennessee Guard members have volunteered to help during the pandemic. Over the last 17 months, anywhere from 250-700 Guardsmen have been actively supporting the testing and vaccination efforts across the state. This has resulted in Tennessee Guardsmen supporting the testing of more than 920,000 Tennesseans and the vaccination of over 1 million.
Currently, there are more than 580 Soldiers and Airmen providing support to 58 counties in Tennessee by helping with testing, vaccinations, and administrative support to health care providers.
Earlier this week, the Tennessee National Guard began staffing support to various hospitals at the request of the Tennessee Department of Health. Starting Aug. 20, the Tennessee National Guard sent 20 Guard members to Baptist Hospital in Memphis and two Guardsmen to Lafollette Healthcare in Campbell County to expand our COVID-19 support. The Guardsmen are capable of working in many types of hospital units and can help with administrative tasks.
The Tennessee National Guard also provides five support personnel to Nashville’s Mid-Cumberland Regional Hospital Office to assist in the school’s call center.
Throughout the pandemic, Soldiers and Airmen have also established temporary testing sites in focus areas, tested vulnerable populations at long-term care facilities, county and state corrections facilities, public housing, and many other locations across the state.
They established Infectious Disease Teams that visit hospitals and alternative care centers to help develop plans and processes that prevent and decrease COVID-19 transmissions within the facilities. Guardsmen have also provided administrative and medical assistance to hospitals, collected and distributed Personal Protective Equipment, and conducted various other tasks requested by TEMA.
How the National Guard is helping
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