OKLAHOMA CITY – Members of the Oklahoma National Guard this week began cleaning nursing homes to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, said Lt. Col. Geoff Legler, a spokesman.
A facility in Muskogee and one in McAlester have been cleaned. A Tulsa facility was set to be cleaned on Saturday, Legler said.
Gov. Kevin Stitt has called up 260 members of the Oklahoma National Guard to perform a variety of tasks.
Those tasks include providing courier services to COVID-19 testing sites; cleaning long-term care facilities; assisting in the distribution of personal protection equipment; and packaging meals at food banks, Legler said.
Stitt said one-third of the state’s deaths caused by COVID-19 occurred in long-term care facilities.
“The folks that work and live in long-term care facilities have all been happy to see us,” Legler said. “They are confident in the skills of the National Guard because they know what we have done before in tornadoes, floods and fires. We have had nothing but a warm reception everywhere we have gone.”
People are also reading…
Capt. Vanessa LaGrange is the medical operations officer for the 63rd Civil Support Team based in Norman. Her team has cleaned two facilities so far, she said.
LaGrange said the work has been very fulfilling with her and she and her staff have received thanks even before the cleaning process began.
She commended the facilities for being proactive.
Sgt. Joshua Burr is a survey team member with the 63rd Civil Support Team.
“We are actually disinfecting long-term care facilities with a disinfectant shown to have great results at sanitizing,” he said.
The chemical is approved for use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said.
Kimberly Green is chief operating officer for Diakonos Group, which has 20 facilities, including 11 skilled nursing operations.
One of the company’s facilities in Midwest City is set to be cleaned next week by members of the Oklahoma National Guard, Green said.
“I think as an industry, we are very grateful they are finally showing up,” she said.
But she said it would have been beneficial to have help sooner, Green said.
Facilities have had trouble locating the personal protective equipment and other supplies needed to deal with COVID-19, she said.
Some of those items, such as N95 masks, aren’t traditionally used in nursing homes.
In addition, the cost for the items has gone up dramatically, affecting the homes financially, Green said.
FEATURED VIDEO
Wayne Greene hosts a "Let's Talk" with Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum on opening business back up after the State issues new directives.
Gallery: How is the world handling the coronavirus pandemic?
