 Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is enlisting the National Guard in the fight against COVID-19. During his coronavirus press briefing on Monday, the governor announced that beginning September 1st, five teams of 15 National Guard members will be deployed around the state to help area hospitals respond to the pandemic. At least one of those teams is being deployed to Pikeville Medical Center. I want folks to know that a whole lot of what we're going to be able to do is additional hospital support. Most National Guard who are doctors or nurses are currently in one of these hospitals. And we're going to do our best to make sure that we're not taking resources from a hospital that is already struggling and just moving it. So a lot of what we're going to be able to do is the other support throughout the hospital freeing people up to provide more of those services. The governor noted that PMC is taking extraordinary steps to respond to the surge in cases. Pikeville Medical Center is one example that set up triage tents outside the emergency department to manage increased patient visits, knowing that their emergency department is overrun and this giving an opportunity to see some people who don't need to be there and move them out. Let me remind you, if you just need a COVID test, even if you're symptomatic, do not go to the ER. Going there could take away needed time from those that are in an actual emergency. Here at Pikeville Medical Center's Heart and Vascular Institute, we have assembled a comprehensive team of cardiac specialists bringing expertise from all regions of the nation and the world. We have coupled that with cutting edge technology, providing them the best equipment and operating rooms available. The result is comprehensive cardiac care for the people of our region that is second to none. The Heart and Vascular Institute at Pikeville Medical Center. Continuing into the fall, Bashir said the guard would assist health departments, vaccination clinics and food banks. The governor is also asking FEMA to provide eight healthcare teams consisting of eight RNs and two CNAs in each team, as well as two EMS teams to assist in transferring patients between hospitals. If approved, Bashir said one of those FEMA teams would be assigned to Pikeville Medical Center.