Gov. Beshear: National Disaster Medical System Team Arrives in Hazard
Governor also requests 30-day extension of FEMA EMS strike teams helping transport COVID-19 patients
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 22, 2021) – In his latest action to support strained Kentucky hospitals, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that a National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) team he requested arrived at Appalachian Regional Healthcare in Hazard today and will stay for two weeks.
The Governor has also requested a 30-day extension of the five Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Medical Services (EMS) strike teams tasked with transferring and transporting COVID-19 patients.
“These NDMS and FEMA teams have played a crucial role assisting our health care heroes as they fight the worst COVID-19 surge we have ever faced,” said Gov. Beshear. “We need continued federal assistance to save Kentucky lives, both from COVID and from other serious illnesses and injuries that require emergency medical treatment.”
NDMS teams typically include a medical officer, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, supply officer, respiratory therapist, four registered nurses and three paramedics. The team can help with opening more available beds that had not been used due to lack of staffing. It can also support emergency department operations, contributing to increased ability for the facility to treat more patients. Another NDMS team arrived at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead Sept. 4. To learn more, see the full release.
The FEMA EMS strike teams are being managed by the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services (KBEMS) through American Medical Response.
The FEMA strike teams have made a noticeable impact on local health care facilities since their arrival in Kentucky on Aug. 27, easing the strain on Kentucky hospitals and giving local EMS resources the ability to provide non-COVID-related 911 services to their communities. The extension also will facilitate patient transports from rural regions to larger urban hospitals that have greater bed availability.
Without an extension, three strike teams are set to expire Sept. 25, and the remaining two will expire Sept. 28.
Each FEMA EMS strike team is comprised of five advanced life support ambulances, and each ambulance is staffed with one paramedic and one emergency medical technician. The strike teams have assisted regionally in Somerset, Louisville, Owensboro, Lexington and Corbin. They are centrally dispatched and can respond to any area in the state.
“We continue to monitor the status of health care facilities across the commonwealth so the FEMA EMS strike teams can focus on inter-facility patient transports, and the local resources can provide 911 services to their citizens,” said Mike Poynter, executive director of KBEMS.
The Governor said in addition to securing two NDMS teams and five FEMA strike teams to date, his administration ensured that more than two dozen hospitals are receiving support from more than 400 National Guard members. This is the largest deployment of National Guard for a health care emergency in the history of the commonwealth.
The state is supporting six community testing sites across Kentucky. To see a map, click here.
Nursing students are also supporting more than a dozen hospitals throughout the commonwealth. To see a map of these hospitals, click here.
Those honored include more than 30 educators
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 23, 2021) – Gov. Andy Beshear has directed that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise until sunset on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in honor of all of the Kentuckians lost to COVID-19, including the more than 30 educators and K-12 school employees. This tribute coincides with the funeral of a 29-year-old Jenkins Independent Schools teacher and the interment of a Lee County educator, the third person from that school system to die from COVID-19 in the recent surge of the virus.
The Governor previously lowered the flag to half-staff for a week after Kentucky suffered its first 100 losses of the coronavirus pandemic.
Early in the pandemic, and as a sign of compassion and healing, the Governor’s Mansion was lit green following the third reported COVID-19 death in Kentucky. Shortly thereafter, the dome of the State Capitol was lit green and has remained so ever since.
The Kentucky State Police Honor Guard placed a wreath in the Capitol Rotunda to mark the loss of the first 150 Kentuckians to the virus and again to mark the loss of 1,000. A large wreath with green lights was placed on the front of the Capitol when the commonwealth lost 2,000 Kentuckians to the virus and, in January, more than 3,000 flags were planted on the lawn of the Capitol to commemorate all Kentuckians lost at that time.
To date, more than 8,000 Kentuckians have died due to COVID-19 and plans are underway to develop a permanent memorial on the grounds of the Capitol.
Gov. Beshear encourages individuals, businesses and organizations throughout the commonwealth to join in this tribute. Flag status information is available at https://governor.ky.gov/flag-status.
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The FDA and the CDC have approved booster doses for the following people who received the Pfizer vaccine:
- individuals 65 years and older and long-term care facility residents at least six months after they were fully vaccinated.
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- individuals 50-64 years of age with underlying medical conditions least six months after the primary series; and
- individuals ages 18-64 at risk of exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional settings may choose to get a booster.
If you are unsure if you need a booster dose, please talk with your healthcare provider. To find a vaccine provider near you, visit vaccines.gov or call the Lou Health COVID Helpline at 502-912-8598.
The federal agencies have also recommended that individuals with moderately to severely compromised immune systems who have been fully vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna vaccines should get a third dose to increase their level of immunity against COVID-19. People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.
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