Members of the Guam National Guard's Task Force Engineer and Surgeon Cell installed the first of two Blu-Med Tents outside the Guam Regional Medical City Emergency Room in Dededo on Nov. 2. Commonly used for disaster response, the tents have capabilities similar to an expedient field hospital, including negative pressure to maintain a sanitary working environment ideal for treating COVID-19 patients.

The installation was also attended by the Guam Department of Public Works, who learned from the Guard how to inventory, assemble, and disassemble the equipment. "We have a responsibility to ensure others can carry on this mission when we retrograde," said Col. Ronnie Delfin, commander of the Guam Guard's Joint Task Force 671. "We're not just going to leave the Government of Guam hanging, and that's why we're incorporating this training."

This is the second tent installed by the Guam National Guard, following the first installation at the Guam Memorial Hospital last week. The Government of Guam currently has a total of ten Blu-Med Tents ready to deploy as needed. The tents were purchased with Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding and arrived earlier this week in anticipation of increased hospitalizations.