Military medicine
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The European SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak threatened military beneficiaries receiving care outside of the United States. Military treatment facilities located outside the United States were the first to respond to the pandemic, requiring immediate action to establish novel protocols. The purpose of this case series is to describe challenges, solutions, and future recommendations during a pandemic response at three small naval military treatment facilities located outside the continental United States (OCONUS). ⋯ Recommendations for future work include filling the gaps in the evidence for a prolonged pandemic response and crisis management, such as the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, including best practices to communicate, maintain staff resilience, and manage or mitigate associated prolonged stress and uncertainty.
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Landstuhl Regional Medical Center's response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic included a plan to provide just-in-time training for nursing staff and paraprofessionals from throughout the organization in the event that it became overwhelmed with more critically ill patients than the facility was staffed to manage. Training conducted was a combination of online learning from the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Association of Critical Care Nurses as well as a 2-hour block of hands-on skills. ⋯ Quick implementation of the plan led to over 125 nurses and paraprofessionals receiving the education and training in preparation for the pandemic response. The article further discusses training topics covered and the competency expectations for non-critical care nurses trained.
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Case Reports
A Case Report of Air Force Reserve Nurses Deployed to New York City for COVID-19 Support.
Initial DoD support of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operations for New York City (NYC) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relief included the deployment of military medics to the Javits New York Medical Station and USNS Comfort. When Air Force (AF) Reservists arrived in NYC, 64th Air Expeditionary Group leaders worked with FEMA, Task Force New York/New Jersey, and NYC chains of command to send Airmen to NYC hospitals, including Lincoln Medical Center (LMC). Within 72 hours of arrival, 60 AF Reservists, including 30 registered nurses and 3 medical technicians, integrated into LMC to provide support during April and May 2020. ⋯ In these units, AF nurses provided patient care and worked directly with LMC nurses to provide directed teaching experiences to improve their comfort and competency with caring for acutely ill COVID-19 patients. The deployment of AF Reservists into civilian facilities was a success and bolstered the capability of three facilities struggling to care for SARS-CoV-2 patients. This effort was recognized by military and civilian healthcare leaders and resulted in over 600 military medical personnel being sent to support 11 NYC public hospitals.