Maine National Guard helps out at Franklin Memorial Hospital

PHOTO: Wilton native Isaac Cardona, of the Maine Air National Guard, reets and provides PPE for patients outside Franklin Memorial Hospital, before escorting them to and from the monoclonal antibody clinic. (Submitted photo)

FARMINGTON — Members of the Maine National Guard arrived at Franklin Memorial Hospital in late December to assist care team members in nonclinical roles under a deployment order from Gov. Janet Mills.
Upon their arrival, Guard members were given a tour of the hospital, were fitted for N95 masks, and taught how to properly use personal protective equipment.
The guard members at the hospital will escort patients who have tested positive and are at risk for serious COVID-19 illness to and from the monoclonal antibody clinic, which is in the intensive care unit.
Among the Guard members deployed at the hospital was Wilton native Sra. Isaac Cardona, who enlisted with the Air Force shortly after his 2019 graduation from Mt. Blue High School. Cardona on a recent shift met referred patients outside the hospital to provide them with the necessary PPE before taking them to the clinic area to receive their 30-minute infusion.
“Monoclonal antibody therapies have been shown to greatly reduce the chance of hospitalization for those at risk of severe COVID,” said Dr. Ross Isacke, FMH chief medical officer. “This therapy can be extremely effective, but it’s not a replacement for vaccination. The community still needs to get vaccinated and boosted to break the virus’ chain of transmission.”
“We are so grateful for their help,” Isacke added. “Having just one additional person means we can treat more patients each day.”