Civil Air Patrol Transporting Coronavirus Test Kits in New Mexico

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Flying the test kits from Las Cruces to Albuquerque allows processing to start sooner and provides quicker results to physicians and patients. New Mexico Wing ground crews pick up the packages from the hospital and transport them to Las Cruces International Airport. A CAP aircrew flies the samples to Albuquerque, where another ground team delivers them to the laboratory. The National Guard has been transporting the kits for the NM Department of Health and requested CAP assistance with the task. The April 24 flight was the first in an ongoing operation for the New Mexico Wing. The CAP is prepared to continue supporting COVID-19 response efforts for the foreseeable future. “We have the aircraft, vehicles, safety protocols, and trained volunteers to help our fellow New Mexicans at this challenging time, and we welcome the opportunity to do so,” said CAP Lt. Col. John Grassham, incident commander for the mission. The CAP support is being funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Federal funding was enabled by a presidential disaster declaration, which now covers all 50 states. CAP members experienced in organizing and supporting emergency-services operations formed an incident management team that worked using online tools and video conferencing, maintaining the social-distancing practices mandated statewide. “Our volunteers throughout the state have come together as a unified team to accomplish this new and important mission. We are happy to support our communities in the vital fight against this disease,” said CAP New Mexico Wing Commander Col. Annette Peters. Acting as a Total Force partner and official civilian auxiliary of the Air Force, Civil Air Patrol is aligned with First Air Force to rapidly respond to non-military threats domestically when tasked in a Defense Support of Civil Authorities capacity to save lives, relieve suffering, prevent property damage and provide humanitarian assistance.
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