Featured image above: Gen. Carden and his team meeting with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital leaders upon arrival at the main entrance of the hospital.
Friday, March 27, the Georgia National Guard deployed two medical teams to assist with COVID-19 response at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia. A third team arrived on Saturday, bringing the total number of troops to 29. The group includes one physician, several advanced practice providers and registered nurses, and 20 emergency medical technicians. Major General Thomas Carden, Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard, and Brigadier General Randall Simmons, Assistant Adjutant General, visited Phoebe’s main hospital campus on Saturday.
“We are so appreciative of the state support we are receiving to help us meet southwest Georgia’s growing healthcare needs, and we were pleased to welcome Gen. Carden and Gen. Simmons to Albany today. We are working quickly to orient these dedicated National Guard troops and secure emergency credentialing as necessary. We are matching their skills to our greatest needs, so they can best serve the people in our part of the state and help us through this public health crisis,” said Scott Steiner, Phoebe Putney Health System Chief Executive Officer.
The Georgia National Guard also provided five ventilators for use at Phoebe Putney and has an additional five service members currently supporting Pruitt Palmyra Nursing Home in Albany. These teams provide support to the professional medical staff at each facility in order to enable them to focus on critical life-saving requirements.
It is important to note that these teams do not exist in the military. They are “purpose built” and have been deployed to the point of need in just over a week. In addition to these two teams deployed to Albany, the Georgia National Guard generated twelve more teams for deployment across the state.