Army Reserve Teams Help Fight Coronavirus In Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, PA — A task force of 85 medical specialists from the U.S. Army Reserve has arrived in Pennsylvania and will be assigned to help civilian healthcare professionals care for cononavirus patients.

State officials announced over the weekend that the reservists will be deployed wherever in Pennsylvania they are most needed.

"We are extremely grateful to have these highly skilled military medical professionals serving on the front lines, side-by-side with our brave civilian health care practitioners, as we wage war against this highly contagious and life-threatening virus," said Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar.

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The U.S. Army has mobilized 1,275 reserve medical specialists into 15 task forces designed to reinforce civilian health care in urban areas across the country that are experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases.

Each task force consists of 14 doctors — including an infectious disease specialist and four respiratory specialists — 16 medics, 13 nurses, five physician assistants, two dentists, four pharmacists, two clinical psychologists, one psychiatrist, two occupational therapy specialists, four dietitians and other support staff that can perform low-triage care and test for COVID-19.

The first members of the unit arrived in Pennsylvania on April 16 to visit sites and coordinate with state officials. The task force will fall under the control of the dual-status command recently established within the Pennsylvania National Guard.

"This is a great example of how different areas of federal and state government can seamlessly combine during an emergency to aid our citizens,” said Maj. Gen. Anthony Carrelli, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "The Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force will provide a tremendous capability to supplement the critical medical staff within our most affected areas of the commonwealth."

Pennsylvania's Department of State waived certain professional licensing requirements to make sure the military teams can lawfully provide medical help in the state. All of the teams' members already hold a license in at least one state or a federal license from the U.S. Armed Forces.