New York National Guard Operational Update, June 4, 2020

LATHAM, NY (06/04/2020) (readMedia)-- On Thursday, June 4, the New York National Guard has 3,162 personnel on the COVID-19 response mission across New York.

This includes 2,621 New York Army National Guard Soldiers and 382 New York Air National Guard Airmen. 159 members of the New York Guard (the State Defense Force) and New York Naval Militia are also mobilized for the mission in State Active Duty status.

In addition, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has directed the New York National Guard on standby to provide troops to assist local governments because of violence which has occurred during protests in New York City and other localities across New York.

Six Joint Task Forces are operating on Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, Syracuse and Buffalo to support state and local governments.

A Dual Status Command Task Force under the command of Brig. Gen. Michel Natali, the Assistant Adjutant General, Army, leads efforts to employ active and National Guard military resources in New York City.

The Dual Status Command is supporting military medical staff working at one New York City hospital and the military support to the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. This will end this week.

The Javits New York Medical Station, placed at the Javits Convention Center, is now in a cold status to respond to future needs in the city as necessary. The Javits New York Medical Station treated 1,095 patients.

New York National Guard members continue to manage the Javits site as the unified command post for the multi-agency response, providing logistics, administration and access control support.

The alternate care facility at the South Beach Psychiatric Center on Staten Island has been closed and New York National Guard elements are no longer there. Guard troops continue to support three other potential alternate care sites on Long Island or Westchester being maintained in a cold status.

The New York National Guard is assisting at five antibody testing sites. 535 antibody tests were conducted on June 2. 12,237 antibody tests have been administered at the state run locations located at:

• Orange County Community College, Newburgh;

• Erie Community College - North Campus, Williamsville;

• Onondaga Community College, Syracuse;

• SEFCU Arena on the SUNY Albany Campus, Albany;

and Nassau County Community College in East Garden City.

The National Guard continues to support 15 drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites with administrative and logistical support, medical support at some sites and mask fit testing services. 3,211 tests were conducted at these sites on June 1.

Sites are located at:

• SUNY Stony Brook;

• Jones Beach State Park;

• Staten Island adjacent the Staten Island University Hospital;

• Glen Island State Park in Westchester County;

• The Anthony Wayne Service area in Rockland County;

• Lehman College and the Bay Plaza Mall in the Bronx;

• Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens;

• Linden Blvd., Brooklyn;

• SUNY Albany;

• Niagara County Community College in Sandborn, N.Y.;

• The Buffalo Sabres KeyBank Center parking lot in Buffalo;

• SUNY Binghamton;

• Griffiss International Airport, Rome;

and Monroe County Community College in Rochester.

Soldiers and Airmen are collecting samples and providing general-purpose support at the testing locations. 303,610 tests have been conducted at these locations.

Fifty New York Army National Guard medics are conducting COVID-19 tests in nursing homes and adult care facilities in downstate New York.

The New York National Guard's 24th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team is currently conducting COVID-19 testing at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Brooklyn for staff and patients and for military personnel working in New York City hospitals at the Javits New York Medical Station.

New York National Guard personnel continue food packaging and distribution in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan in New York City, providing 775,428 meals on June 1. Soldiers and Airmen have distributed

21,771,134 meals since beginning the mission.

Similar food distribution missions continue in Westchester County. National Guard troops have provided 150,100 meal packages since the start of the mission. In Albany County, troops have delivered 5,576 meals to quarantined residents as of June 2.

Soldiers helping to process and ship goods at the regional food bank in Schenectady, N.Y., delivered 8,560 meals as of June 2.

One-time food distribution events have provided 3,000 meals in the Mohawk Valley.

In Chenango County Soldiers have distributed 11,348 meals.

New York Soldiers and Airmen continue conducting logistics missions, including warehousing and commodity distribution of medical supplies at six sites in the Hudson Valley, the Albany area, the Mohawk Valley, and New York City.

Hand sanitizer delivery to local governments is ongoing. A total of 67,504 gallons of sanitizer have been distributed in the lower Hudson Valley since the start of the mission.

The New York National Guard continues to provide support to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City.

New York National Guard personnel are working with members of the Medical Examiner's Office to assist in the dignified removal of human remains and the intake, storage and funeral home release of decedents. Soldiers and Airmen from a number of units are conducting this mission under the control of the 369th Sustainment Brigade.

Soldiers are operating phones for the New York City Division of Veterans Services. They are assisting in Operation Vet Check, in which veterans are contacted to see how they are doing or if they require assistance. 6,427 calls have been made.

Soldiers are also assisting in staffing phones for a New York City initiative to provide air conditioners to senior this summer.

New York National Guard Soldiers continue to provide administrative support at two New York City 911 call centers.

Soldiers and Airmen continue packaging COVID-19 test kits for the New York State Department of Health at the Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany. 10,000 kits were assembled on June 2. A total of 1,699,969 COVID 19 test kits have been assembled.

New York National Guard images continue to go up on DVIDS: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NYNG, and our NY National Guard Flickr site, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nyng .

The New York National Guard Public Affairs Officer is Col. Richard Goldenberg. He can be reached at Richard.l.goldenberg.mil@mail.mil or (518) 786-4581.