MD Guard Sets Stakes at Pimlico – COVID-19 Testing Site
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X19ikv4mjh0″ css=”.vc_custom_1586025883708{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1586026333865{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]Article By Pfc. Christina Chang, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Video By Sgt. Elise Moore, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Photos By Maj. Kurt Rauschenberg, Maryland National Guard Public Affairs Office[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1586200856030{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;border-left-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]
In these times of need, the Maryland National Guard continues to support local efforts by establishing a COVID-19 testing site at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Construction on the site began on April 3, 2020, which is the first of its size in Baltimore City.
The purpose of the site is to temporarily relieve local medical facilities in carrying out COVID-19 community screenings.
Service Members of the Maryland Army National Guard’s 1297th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion and 1729th Maintenance Company, both based in Havre de Grace, Maryland, and the 1229th Transportation Company, based in Baltimore, Maryland, erected Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelters and medium tents in the parking lot outside the race course.
“Collectively, I’m proud of everybody that’s in the Maryland National Guard,” said Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young who visited the site. “They came here to help the city of Baltimore by setting up testing sites, to help us with humanitarian efforts, by helping us serve food to our young people and doing all the wonderful things that you do.”
These service members continue to protect their families and serve their communities by providing additional medical services, transportation, and food distribution support. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 activation in Maryland these service members have continued to provide essential services at the request of the civil agencies. As essential employees they leave their families, civil employment, and daily lives to serve.
“I hope that when [my son] gets older, he understands that what I did was to help the community,” Spc. Kiarra Faircloth, a member of the 1297th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, said “And it wasn’t a selfish act just to be without his mother.”
More than 2,000 Maryland National Guard members are activated to support Maryland’s response to COVID-19. The MDNG is working in close coordination with many agencies to support civil authorities to augment civil agency capabilities. MDNG capabilities include medical augmentation, transportation support, food distribution, and more.
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