CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
During yesterday’s press conference, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG), highlighted a training session between the WVNG and the West Virginia Division of Highways that took place yesterday to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) training at their facility.
“This partnership is exceptionally important so that all West Virginia state agencies workers can return feeling confident that their workplace has implemented safeguards and best practices to ensure a safe workplace,” said Hoyer. “At the Governor’s direction, we will work with all agencies in state government to prepare them for reopening in the safest manner possible.”
Hoyer also added that during the month of May, West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (WVVOAD), Catholic Charities West Virginia and West Virginia Council of Churches are sponsoring a food drive to support COVID-19 relief efforts. These organizations are urging all West Virginians that can, to donate canned and dry goods during this month. Anyone who is interested in donating can visit www.wvvoad.org or call 211 for a list of local food pantries.
Since beginning operations in support of the state’s COVID-19 response 55 days ago, the WVNG has completed 870 missions through our six lines of effort of operationalizing of the event, stabilizing the population, providing logistical movement of critical supplies, innovation, state surge capacity and capability, and conducting data analysis to combat the virus. Currently, 702 members of the WVNG are on duty serving the citizens of the State of West Virginia.
In the last 24 hours, West Virginia Guardsmen and women assisted packing 1,622 box meals at the Mountaineer Food Bank, 171 family meal boxes at the Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington and 765 box meals to the Harrison County Board of Education food mission in Clarksburg. In addition, 10 WVNG personnel assisted in packing and delivering 1,000 meals in Milton today.
Task Force CRE is continuing to provide PPE training for children’s home society locations throughout the state, as well as area healthcare facilities and retail establishments. To date, this team has trained 713 businesses, 3,721 personnel and 85 medical or long-term care facilities.
Task Force Sustainment, our team dedicated to receiving and moving critical supplies across the state, continues their mission this week of distributing PPE to various county emergency managers. Over the next few days, this team will be doing a 100% inventory count.
Today, Hoyer recognized prison industry workers from the Lakin facility for their support to the state’s COVID-19 response. These individuals are contributing by sewing face coverings to combat the national shortage of PPE.
West Virginia Guard personnel assisting in sanitization lanes for first responder and public transport vehicles have sanitized 315 vehicles in two locations – Huntington and Charleston – which includes ambulances, police vehicles and public transport buses.
West Virginia National Guard medical personnel augmenting DHHR’s regional epidemiology teams were able to support 190 voluntary COVID-19 mapping engagements and four expedited transfers to the state lab. To date, the state’s seven regional epidemiology teams have conducted more than 5,750 voluntary COVID-19 mappings.
All current and future missions performed by the WVNG are a part of a coordinated state-level public health preparation and response effort for the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, initiated by Governor Jim Justice, and being led by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
B-roll footage of current and ongoing WVNG missions are available at: www.dvidshub.net/units/wv-ang