Army Converts Local Chapel Into COVID-19 Medical Facility

May 18, 2020 | BY Bryan Gatchell

To combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, the U.S. Army Benelux Garrison  and its mission partners converted the chapel at Caserne Daumerie in Chièvres, Belgium, into a medical holding facility in less than 30 days.

The garrison's intent was to repurpose an unused space for service members suffering from  respiratory distress. The patients would stay at the holding facility until Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany was ready to receive them and travel arrangements were in place.

Caserne Daumerie is across the Grand Rue in Chièvres from Chièvres Air Base, the garrison's current headquarters. It has largely been inactive since most of its activities moved to the air base, making it an ideal location for standing up temporary COVID-19 response facilities. In addition to the medical holding facility, there are also quarantine and isolation facilities for service members arriving from COVID-19 hotspots.

Army Lt. Col. Anthony Rhea, the deputy commander for nursing care at SHAPE Healthcare Facility, described the impetus for setting up the facility.

"What can we do if this pandemic reaches a point where the Belgian health care system gets overwhelmed, and they cannot take care of our U.S./SHAPE/NATO community?" Rhea asked. "The Belgian government and the Belgian health care system did a good job of managing COVID-19 in their country to where we didn't reach the point where we thought we had to use this facility."

"It's a contingency plan," said Dwayne Key, the plans officer for USAG Benelux. "It's a plan for something that you hope you'll never have to use."

Key, along with other garrison organizations and mission partners, originally worked on the medical holding facility with the intent to establish a field hospital or combat support hospital. It was determined, however, that construction of a temporary hospital would require greater resources from U.S. Army Europe, possibly straining a medical system already combating COVID-19 throughout the theater.

Instead, the facility was designed as a waystation for the ill, able to accommodate as many as 10 personnel suffering intermediate to intense respiratory distress for a few hours.

"The great thing about this building is it's just a shell," Rhea said. "So let's say that for whatever reason [Regional Health Command Europe] can send a portion of a field hospital here to provide longer care in the facility. They can still do that."

Key said he was amazed at how rapidly everyone worked together to establish the hospital..

"From the day that we received our mission and the commander's intent, … it reached that initial stage of readiness in just under 30 days," he said.

Among the improvements to the building, plexiglass walls were erected to prevent the spread of the virus from bed to bed. Plastic sheeting was put up on all the remaining walls in the building. New flooring was put down. Electric capacity was increased to accommodate the medical equipment. An airflow unit was installed to filter the air and pressurize the interior to help decrease the risk of aggravating the patients' condition. A ramp that allows easier transport of patients on gurneys. A staff entrance and exit allows personnel to change their personal protective equipment and disinfect before entering and exiting the facility.

These improvements took the Directorate of Public Works personnel three weeks to complete. Scott Chapman, the chief of business operations and integration for DPW, said the renovation was "a perfect example of how great teamwork makes wonderful things happen."

"DPW maintenance workers, supply technicians and engineers worked tirelessly together with SHAPE Healthcare employees to condense a six-week project into three," Chapman said.

Key said the modifications made to the building were not the end of the planning process. Plans included ways to support the lifesaving staff and the families of the affected service members.

"While the hospital or treatment facility was being built, the planning team was also putting together and standing up our abilities to execute those efforts as well," Key said. "So it wasn't just a singular focus. It was a broad look at what was the one thing that we would absolutely have to do, and then the other things that were essential to success after the first patient arrives."

In the Netherlands and in Belgium, the trend of daily new hospitalizations has steadily decreased since early April. Key said that given their team's ability to establish the facility so efficiently, expanding the capacity at Caserne Daumerie would be possible if the need arises.

Rhea said that judging by Belgium's capacity to manage the virus, he does not believe expansion would be necessary. Even if the number of hospitalizations were to swell in a second wave of infections, 10 beds are enough for the USAG Benelux community, he added.

"That should be sufficient for holding capability," he said. "For the size of the population that we support, for this particular virus, that should be sufficient."

(Bryan Gatchell is assigned to U.S. Army Garrison Benelux.)

Oldest Army Medical Unit Adopts State-of-the-Art Assets to Combat COVID-19

May 18, 2020 | BY ARMY SPC. SAMANTHA HALL

''We train for war,'' said Army Col. Robert F. Howe II, the commander of the Army's 1st Medical Brigade out of Fort Hood, Texas. ''But getting to support citizens in our homeland is special. Helping fellow citizens is what we're here for.''

The Silver Knights are no strangers to conflict. The brigade is the Army's oldest color-bearing medical unit, forged on the battlefields of World War I as they supported the first American units committed to that conflict more than 100 years ago.

Today, new enemies have brought new demands upon the storied unit, and they are once again on the cutting edge of response in the face of COVID-19.

The mission of the Silver Knights is to provide command and control, administrative assistance, and technical supervision of medical units used in support of operations around the world. The brigade also provides combat health support to forces, all while retaining the ability to deploy medical support packages on short notice.

In the past, these capabilities were used almost exclusively outside the United States; however, their assets have proven instrumental in the whole-of-nation response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within 24 hours of notification, the Silver Knights sent medical personnel from the 9th Hospital Center and the 627th Hospital Center to New York City and Seattle, respectively.

''To be expeditionary in our own country is awesome and inspiring,'' Howe said. ''There's something special and tangible in seeing the benefits of what you’re doing in your own backyard.''

In addition to other regions of the country, the 1st Medical Brigade is assigned to support the efforts of Task Force Center, the command and control element coordinating defense support of civil authorities in 15 states in the central U.S.

''I cannot say enough about the partnership that was developed between Colonel Howe and his organization and Task Force Center,'' said Army Maj. Gen. Michael A. Stone, the commander of Task Force Center. ''Their expertise, professionalism and tireless work ensured that we were never late to need and that the appropriate medical capabilities were delivered when needed, where needed. They really are a top-notch unit with excellent leadership.''

While flattered by the high praise heaped upon his unit, Howe is quick to point out that it was a team-effort, involving a whole-of-government approach.

''We've had amazing opportunities to coordinate and work closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and all sorts of other partners at various levels,'' he said. ''Everyone gets a voice, and everyone is very focused on defeating COVID.''

In addition to deploying traditional military assets like the 9th and 627th Hospital Centers, the Silver Knights had the opportunity to implement a military asset that didn't exist before the global pandemic. The Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force, or UAMTF, is a new concept in rapid-deploying medical assets provided by the Army Reserve.

The medical expertise that UAMFT units offer is in direct contrast to a combat support hospital, where a large component of the unit is support personnel. The UAMTF concept allows the Army to rapidly deploy a unit that is tailor fitted to meet the specific requirements of the mission.

Army Lt. Col. Rob Wyatt, the commander of the 801-2 UAMTF, explained that a UAMTF is better prepared for a situation where self-sufficient medical personnel are needed.

''The unit came together, its people transitioned from civilians to active-duty soldiers in a matter of days,'' Wyatt said. ''We have shown that when we're needed, we can be there quickly and ready to provide our capabilities to the fight.''

The success of not only the UAMTF, but also of the military's support of civil authorities in response to COVID-19, has not gone unnoticed, at least in the mind of Howe.

''I couldn’t be prouder to serve alongside these professional soldiers from all walks of life, yet united for one purpose: to defeat COVID-19,'' Howe said. ''This is a defining moment in our history, and one of the most significant things I have supported in my 30 year Army career. Our soldiers are completely focused on saving lives. There is nothing more noble than that.''

(Army Spc. Samantha Hall is assigned to the Defense Department Support to FEMA COVID-19.)

Kings Bay Unit Makes PPE for Employees, Health Care Providers

May 18, 2020 | BY Kimberly Menzies

As COVID-19 began to spread across the United States, Trident Refit Facility Kings Bay, Georgia, or TRF-KB, redirected some resources to produce personal protective equipment  for its employees and local medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients.

After seeing media reports about New York City healthcare providers using plastic trash bags due to shortages of protective medical aprons, Navy Capt. Paul Dinius, the TRF-KB commanding officer at the time, contacted Navy Cmdr. Adrian Gaskins, the officer in charge at the Kings Bay Naval Branch Health Clinic, and offered the services of TRF-KB to manufacture PPE items.

The initial thought was to make aprons from vinyl or other material in preparation for an expected onslaught of COVID patients, said Navy Cmdr. Joseph Meier, the repair officer for TRF-KB.

TRF-KB also received requests from the Jacksonville Naval Hospital for support by producing other types of PPE.

Once medical needs were identified, the TRF-KB team used on-hand resources to create solutions for PPE deficiencies at the clinic and hospital.

TRF-KB craftsmen designed and created face shields, extenders to supplement the rubber-band ear pieces attached to some medical face masks and cloth face coverings, pleated and washable cloth face coverings and prototype intubation chambers.

The sail loft shop produced the cloth face coverings, while the shipfitters designed and manufactured face shields and intubation boxes. Other TRF-KB shops constructed face shields.

The rubber and plastics shop supported the task with preliminary designs of the face shields and prototypes, Meier said.

The computer numerical control shop produced the extenders by using additive manufacturing technology such as 3D printers, along with producing the preliminary face shield headgear designs. The 3D printer technology enabled TRF-KB to rapidly create prototypes and produce much of the needed PPE.

Despite COVID-19, Meier said, TRF-KB remains mission-focused and committed to supporting the community.

"All of this, along with our own internal efforts to combat the effects of COVID-19 within our own workforce, demonstrates that we have the ability to overcome the challenges the pandemic presents, and also continue with our primary mission," Meier said. "We've stayed solid, didn't have to shut down, and are able to support the medical efforts, too."

Dinius, who now serves as the chief of staff for Submarine Group 10, said he believes the TRF-KB fight against COVID-19 has been a winning effort.

"Every small amount helps. … The TRF-KB team is winning the COVID-19 mitigation fight, but they are also winning the whole-of-government effort to supply our medical heroes with the tools they need on the front lines," he said.

(Kimberly Menzies is assigned to Trident Refit Facility Kings Bay.)