New York National Guard Operations Update for April 1

LATHAM, NY (04/01/2020) (readMedia)-- On Wednesday, April 1, the New York National Guard has 2,780 personnel on mission across the state. This includes members of the New York Army and Air National Guard, the New York Guard (State Defense Force), and the New York Naval Militia.

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.

In New York City, New York National Guard personnel continue to support the arrival of the city's first patients at the Jacob Javits Center FEMA field hospital.

U.S. Army medical personnel from the 9th and 531st Hospital Centers, part of the 44th Medical Brigade, staff the center for patient treatment. The 531st is from Fort Campbell, Kentucky and the 9th from Fort Hood, Texas.

New York National Guard members continue to manage the site as the unified command post for the multi-agency response at the Javits Center.

New York established a dual-status commander, New York Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Michel Natali, the New York National Guard's Assistant Adjutant General, Army, to command both National Guard and active duty forces operating in the state.

The New York National Guard continues to support seven drive-thru testing sites. Six sites are located at SUNY Stoneybrook, Jones Beach State Park, Staten Island, Glen Island State Park in Westchester County, the Anthony Wayne Service area in Rockland County, Lehman College in the Bronx and the Bay Plaza Mall in the Bronx.

New York National Guard personnel are continuing to support food packaging and distribution today in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan in New York City.

Similar missions continue today in Westchester County in New Rochelle and Albany County for the City of Albany.

New York Soldiers and Airmen are also conducting logistics missions in support of the state response, including warehousing support and bulk distribution at sites in the Hudson Valley, the Albany area, and the Mohawk Valley. Hand sanitizer warehousing and deliveries continue today across the lower Hudson Valley.

The New York National Guard is also providing logistics support to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City. National Guard personnel will work with members of the Medical Examiner's Office to assist in the dignified removal of human remains when required.

New York National Guard also continues to provide support to the New York State Coronavirus Hotline by working in a call center in Rotterdam, N.Y. to offering updated information to the public. Other Soldiers support a call center mission in Brooklyn in New York City.

Soldiers are also on call to assist Department of Health officials at the Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany for packaging COVID 19 test kits.

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.

Please attribute to Col. Richard Goldenberg, public affairs officer. He can also be reached at Richard.l.goldenberg.mil@mail.mil or (518) 786-6150.