New York National Guard Operations Update for March 29, 2020

LATHAM, NY (03/29/2020) (readMedia)-- On Sunday, March 29, the New York National Guard has 2,450 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.

Members of the New York Army and Air National Guard are now under Title 32 orders. The federal government is paying their salaries while they continue to operate under the orders of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Members of the New York Guard and New York Naval Militia, which are state forces, remain on duty in State Active Duty status, being paid by the state.

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 final preparations to receive patients at the Jacob Javits Center FEMA field hospital. A centralized nursing station was installed Friday, along with associated furniture.Pharmacy equipment and formulary arrived Saturday. The facility currently has 1,000 beds and additional beds will be added.

About 600 U.S. Army medical personnel from the 9th and 531st Hospital Centers, part of the 44th Medical Brigade, are also available. The 531st is from Fort Campbell, Kentucky and the 9th from Fort Hood, Texas. These personnel will staff the augmented care facility.

Personnel will rehearse their roles at the facility today to prepare for accepting patients beginning on Monday.

A New York National Guard mayor's cell and other Soldiers are supporting operations at the site.

The New York National Guard continues to support six drive-thru testing sites. 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, and Lehman College in the Bronx.

An additional site is being established at Coop City - Bay Plaza Mall in the Bronx and the New York National Guard will assist in staffing that location with Soldiers and medical personnel. Personnel will be rehearsing operations today. That site is due to go live on Monday.

New York National Guard personnel are continuing to support food packaging and in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

Food distribution missions will begin in Albany County on Monday, March 30.

In Westchester County and New York City, the New York National Guard continues to support the cleaning of public facilities to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

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. Medical supplies are flowing into warehouses being staffed by New York National Guard personnel.

Hand sanitizer warehousing and deliveries will continue today across the lower Hudson Valley. Guard personnel anticipate dropping supplies at ten locations.

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, New York Army National Guard Public Affairs Officer. He can also be reached at richard.l.goldenberg.mil@mail.mil or (518) 786-6150