State by State: February 2021

CALIFORNIA: National Guard Medical Troops Assist Hospitals

As California hospitals were slammed by waves of COVID-19 patients in December, the National Guard was called to lend a hand. With hospitals reaching a breaking point from an unprecedented surge in coronavirus cases, Guard troops assisted at 13 facilities in the state. Each team consisted of about 6–10 medical corps members, led by a physician or a nurse. At the end of 2020 there were 20,000 people hospitalized for COVID-19 across California—eight times higher than two months prior—and ICU capacities were approaching 0%. Troops’ duties included offloading patients from ambulances and serving as extra pairs of hands for nurses. 

TENNESSEE: Nashville Christmas Bombing Impacts 9-1-1 

A suicide bomber detonated a recreational vehicle bomb in downtown Nashville Christmas morning, injuring eight people and damaging dozens of buildings. The FBI believed the bomber to be Nashville resident Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, who acted alone. People near the RV heard gunshots, and loudspeakers on the RV warned them to evacuate before the explosion. The bombing damaged a nearby AT&T service facility, resulting in outages across the region that impacted 9-1-1 availability for days afterward. 

NEW YORK: Holiday Toy Giveaway Honors Slain FDNY EMT

Pandemic or not, Santa Claus delivered thousands of toys to children in the Bronx in late December, all in the name of slain FDNY EMT Yadira Arroyo. Arroyo’s family members dressed like Santa and Mrs. Claus and handed out toys to more than 2,000 children who lined up with their families outside the playground named after the heroic first responder. Arroyo, a 14-year veteran, was killed when Jose Gonzalez, who police said was high on drugs, stole her ambulance and struck her with it on March 16, 2017. 

MINNESOTA: Hennepin, Stillpoint Team Up to Bolster Resilience

A new collaboration between Stillpoint Engage and Hennepin EMS offers resilience resources to help sustain the mental and emotional stamina of first responders and dispatch staff. Stillpoint Engage is providing resources to support Hennepin EMS first responders, including individual resilience sessions, group critical incident sessions, in-person resilience training, a private website, resource library, and peer support training. Stillpoint Engage is an international humanitarian nonprofit organization that engages multidimensional approaches to alleviate human suffering.