DOD Awards $4.9 Million Contract to Pall Corporation to Increase Industrial Base Expansion for Medical Ventilator Components

July 23, 2020

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The Department of Defense (DOD) awarded Pall Corporation a firm fixed price undefinitized contract action, not to exceed $4.9M, to increase the domestic industrial base capacity for ventilator filters. This award includes, but is not limited to, special molding and tooling equipment, facility build costs, and FDA certifications.

As the need for ventilators has increased over the course of the COVID-19 public health crisis, critical component manufacturers were unable to meet demand. DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) worked together with industry to determine how to support increasing the domestic capacity of critical component suppliers, and this effort is a result of those collaborations. Pall’s prior production rate of ventilator filters was 485K units/month. With this award, Pall Corporation is expected to increase their domestic manufacturing by another 650K units/month starting in 16 months post-award; their production facility is located in Puerto Rico.

Fiscal 2020 other procurement funds in the amount of $1,630,000.00 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia is the contracting activity (FA8576-20-P-0003).

This contract award is part of the ongoing collaboration between DOD and HHS, led by the Department’s Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) and funded through the CARES Act, to enable and support domestic industrial base expansion for critical medical resources.

Esper: DOD Involved in COVID-19 Fight 'From Day One'

July 23, 2020 | BY C. Todd Lopez , DOD News

Since the COVID-19 crisis first threatened the United States earlier this year, the Defense Department has been at the forefront of America's fight against the pandemic, said Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper.

"We've been in it from day one, going back to late January, when I started taking reports on COVID-19," said Esper, during a press briefing yesterday at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. "If you recall, way back then, it was the Air Force. In fact, the Air Force Reserve, that opened up a base in California in late January to bring American citizens back from China to deal with it."

We've been ahead of the curve every step of the way. We will continue to be there."

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper

Since that time, Esper said, the department has opened more bases to take care of Americans who've been repatriated and taken to the streets to bring assistance directly to citizens.

"At one point, well over 45,000 guardsmen [were] out distributing supplies, setting up testing stations in nearly all 50 states and territories," he said. "[It's] just a remarkable effort by the active duty and mostly the Guard to do that. And now, of course, we're all in with regard to Operation Warp Speed and driving toward a therapeutic and a vaccine to get there."

America's soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, Esper said, continue to stand ready to provide support to the people of the United States in the fight against COVID-19.

"We've been there from day one. We've been ahead of the curve every step of the way. We will continue to be there," he said.

At Whiteman AFB, Esper also met with airmen and civilians to discuss issues related to diversity and equality within the department — something he said is critical to the department's strength.

Among the many issues discussed was finding ways to make the promotion process blind to both gender and race to avoid gender and race biases, he said.

"All those things we can do to get rid of things that might trigger conscious, more importantly, unconscious bias, I want to do to move forward," he said. "We need to be as meritocratic as possible in the military. That's our commitment. The military is very diverse. That's a strength of ours to be diverse. At the end of the day, it's all about improving cohesion, morale and readiness. And the more that we can have a diverse, inclusive force that everybody believes offers equal opportunity, the stronger we will be in defense of the American people."

Whiteman AFB, about 60 miles outside Kansas City, is home to the B-2 Spirit bomber, a wing-shaped stealth aircraft that’s operated at the installation by both the active duty 509th Bomb Wing and the Air National Guard's 131st Bomb Wing.

At Whiteman, Esper said, he was impressed with the multi-component cooperation he witnessed between the guard and active duty personnel to carry out the mission.

"As some of you know, I served in both active duty and the ... Army Guard," he said. "I've never seen integration like this. Its hand-in-glove relationship is seamless, and I'm very impressed by what I saw today. I've got to say the Air Force overall does this very well."

Germany Jump

Army paratroopers descend onto Bunker drop zone after exiting an aircraft at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, July 22, 2020.

Fire Training

Marines participate in fire and rescue training at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., July 22, 2020.

Plane Reflections

Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the A-10 Demonstration Team sit on a flightline in Wyoming, July 20, 2020.

Tank Reflections

Army M1 Abrams tanks are positioned to fire at Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, July 21, 2020, during Phase II of Defender-Europe 20, an exercise supporting the U.S. National Defense Strategy and NATO deterrence objectives.

Nebraska Guard Transitions COVID-19 Testing to Civilian Health Care Workers

July 23, 2020 | BY ARMY STAFF SGT. HEIDI MCCLINTOCK

After months of support, the Nebraska National Guard is transitioning its COVID-19 testing mission to civilian health care workers throughout the state.

As of July 1, full Nebraska National Guard testing teams are no longer activated to provide testing throughout Nebraska, but a small group of soldiers and airmen is still activated to provide training and knowledge to hospitals for the Test Nebraska campaign. Another small team is supporting the Omaha area.

''The transition has been going very well,'' said Army Maj. Angela Ling, the coordinator between the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Resources and the Nebraska National Guard. ''The current process is: if a hospital/clinic/health department is interested in running a Test Nebraska site, they contact DHHS, and together they get a contract signed. Once the contract is signed, my team receives the contract, and we call the hospital directly.''

''When we call the hospital, we work out their training needs, test kit, and [personal protective equipment] delivery and scheduling plan,'' Ling added. ''Once these details are solidified, we send an update to the Test Nebraska team to get them loaded into the scheduling system.''

The transition was put in place after several hundred Nebraska National Guard soldiers and airmen were activated in late March to support testing teams that traveled across the state for weeks on end.

''The civilian hospitals are doing a wonderful job with this transition,'' Ling said. ''They are eager to support this need for their communities.''

Over the past few months, the guard testing teams have been able to provide Test Nebraska sites wherever needed, including nursing homes, corrections facilities, meat processing plants, smaller towns and large cities alike.

The teams have helped to collect more than 80,000 samples for testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting 53 counties and all 19 health departments.

''It's been a great honor for the governor to entrust his confidence in Nebraska National Guard soldiers and airmen to provide the testing for COVID-19 these past few months,'' said Army Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska adjutant general. ''I couldn’t be more proud of the team we have had on orders to provide the support and capabilities for such an important mission. It goes without being said we have great soldiers and airmen in the state of Nebraska that are ready to respond at a moment's notice.''

Throughout the pandemic, the guard has always pushed to ensure the safety of the soldiers and airmen supporting the COVID-19 response missions as well as their fellow citizens.

''I have three directives: [to] preserve the health of the force, protect our families in our communities and stay ready,'' Bohac said. ''If we take care of everyone, we take care of the other two, and that’s the direction we’re following.''

As the mission begins to wind down, the soldiers and airmen know that their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed, and they are proud of their contributions during this time.

''Our team has enjoyed working with numerous agencies and filling a need for the state during this pandemic,'' Ling said.

(Army Staff Sgt. Heidi Mcclintock is assigned to the Nebraska National Guard.)

Marines Donate Plasma in Fight Against COVID-19

July 23, 2020 | BY Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob L. Greenberg

Marines assigned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in California who have tested positive for COVID-19 donated plasma at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

In support of the development of an effective treatment, The Defense Department launched a campaign in late May to collect 8,000 units of plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19.

"The hope is that these Marines who have tested positive and recovered from COVID-19 will have developed antibodies," said Ellyn Alcantara, a clinical nurse assigned to the medical center's blood donor center. "These antibodies could lead to developments in a treatment for COVID-19."

All of the Marines volunteered to donate their plasma with the hope that their antibodies will help others.

"It makes me feel good to be a part of the solution to this pandemic," said Marine Corps Pfc. Xavier Flores, a recent donor.

Upon arriving at the donor center, the Marines were given a medical health screening to determine their donor eligibility. Once they are cleared to donate plasma, a complete blood count and hematocrit test ensures the proportion of red blood cells in the body is optimal for donation and would have no adverse effects on the donor.

"A transfusion transmissible infection test will be performed on all donors as a part of their screening process," said Navy Lt. Therica Reynolds, the officer in charge of the medical center's Blood Donor Center. "We're trying to maximize our plasma collection and do our part for patient care."

Reynolds said apheresis — the plasma donation process — takes about an hour from the beginning of the screening process to the end of the collection. Convalescent COVID-19 plasma, or CCP, from recovered COVID-19-positive patients has been used at the medical center to help symptomatic patients recover.

"A qualified donor is eligible to donate every 28 days, and one person can potentially donate four doses, or bags, of CCP per visit," Reynolds said. "We highly encourage potential donors to make an appointment for one of our five apheresis machines. Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and has recovered is encouraged to come into our [donation center] and get screened to donate."

NMCSD's mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. It employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors.

(Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob L. Greenberg is assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego.)