At the request of the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, 40 Arkansas National Guardsmen from the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will deploy to nine hospitals in eight Arkansas cities to assist local health care facilities with Covid-19 testing in order to help protect state residents and meet testing demand in the current surge.
The Arkansas National Guard says Guardsmen will report for in-processing on Jan. 10 at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, and will report to their assigned hospitals on Jan. 11. Their initial orders are for 30 days, which officials say may be extended or curtailed as conditions dictate.
Four Guardsmen will go to Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas (MANA) in Fayetteville; four to Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith; six to St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro; four to Northeast Arkansas Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro; six to Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock; two to Baxter Regional Health System in Mountain Home; two to Jefferson Regional Hospital in Pine Bluff; six to Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers; and six to Washington Regional Medical Center in Springdale.
The Arkansas National Guard assumes support roles to augment civil authorities, where needed and directed by the Governor, to help in a crisis.
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