My former hometown has National Guard deployed in the healthcare system

[Jilly_in_VA]

Members of the Tennessee National Guard headed to a couple of hospitals in East Tennessee to help staff amid the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Lt. Col. Justin Olander, the Joint Task Force Medical Commander, said 20 members were deployed to Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System.

“The hospitals that have us currently are in desperate need of assistance staff augmentation. And so we’re ensuring that we have, that the limited resources that we have, are allocated to the hospitals that need it most,” Olander said.

Olander’s teams were deployed to areas hit hardest by staffing shortages and rising COVID-19 cases in Tennessee. He said his crews were sent mostly to East Tennessee and West Tennessee.

“If you look at the number of cases, those are definitely higher areas of COVID-positive cases and hospitalizations,” Olander said.

https://www.wate.com/news/tn-national-guard-members-deployed-to-morristown-hamblen-healthcare-system/
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Meanwhile, masks are optional in local schools, the entire 7th grade at my grandson's middle school is either out sick or quarantined so it's virtual, and contact tracing has been stopped in the middle and high schools there. WTF, Hamblen County?

[Lovie777]

1. I wonder if the National Guards are vaccinated . . . .

I can't say I don't understand it, I do. "herd" immunity w/o vaccines. You die you die, you don't but you still have pre-existing condition the rest of your life, but hey at least you will be immune, maybe, or maybe until the next virus.

[Duppers]

2. How did I know without opening the thread. 😉

We have this in common, Jilly.

You only have to go 20miles north, northeast or northwest of Knoxville to reach the 18th century.
- quoting my hubby.




Interesting facts about the place:
Han Solo lands his Millennium Falcon there ever so often.
Translation: Harrison Ford lands his jet there - his in-laws live in Morristown. The airport he lands at was managed by the late Evelyn Johnson who had the record of the most number of flying hours of any female in the world. I had the pleasure of briefly knowing her decades ago.

[Jilly_in_VA]

3. That airport

is actually pretty cool. It was built for the corporate jets of the various corporations that have HQ there....MAHLE-USA, Toyoda, and what used to be Standard Colorprint but now is called something else, to name a few. It always amazed me that some foreign companies chose to HQ there. One of my grandsons took flying lessons there. And I remember when Evelyn Johnson died, not so long ago.

But on the subject of the 18th century....one of my home health co-workers many years back used to say about one little hamlet which shall remain nameless (no, it wasn't Sneedville, which is modern compared to this one), "Go up 25-E and over Clinch Mountain, turn left, and proceed to the 18th century." Great folks, but primitive living conditions.

[Duppers]

4. My b.i.l. took flying lessons there too.

G.W. Murphy, an ex-airforce pilot, friend, neighbor, & one of Evelyn's employees, used to take my dad, my brother, & I up on Sundays for a spin in one of the small planes. I loved it. Strange that my dad was afraid of heights but not flying.

[Jilly_in_VA]

5. Do you remember

the DC-3 that was parked there? I loved looking at that plane. It was awhile before I learned that it was actually a fully outfitted air ambulance, used for transporting sick patients to hospitals outside the area. Not critically ill ones who needed LifeStar helicopters, but those who needed extra equipment, oxygen, and maybe an accompanying nurse.