Prague, November 6 – In coming days a six-person team of U.S. military medical professionals from the Texas and Nebraska National Guards will travel to the Czech Republic to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The team of medical professionals were selected based on their extensive experience fighting COVID-19 in the United States. The team will consult with their Czech colleagues and share best practices for responding to the pandemic. Additionally, the team will arrive prepared to link virtually with infectious disease centers in America for real-time medical collaboration.
“We are thankful that the National Guards of Nebraska and Texas will be able to build on their long-standing partnership with the Czech Republic to help our Ally during this time of need,” said Ambassador Stephen King. “I am glad that these highly-trained American professionals will come here and share their expertise and best practices with front-line Czech doctors and nurses. I am also certain that their ability to connect virtually with professionals back in the United States will bring benefits to both sides.”
The team’s arrival follows an initial advisory and fact-finding visit of a small group of U.S. medical professionals, also from Texas and Nebraska, who visited earlier this month.
“The U.S. military doctors, medical practitioners, engineers, and logisticians who were part of the first team that visited the Czech Republic evaluated the situation here and heard firsthand about the needs and concerns of our Czech civilian and military counterparts,” said Embassy Spokesperson Griffin Rozell. “After their visit, we agreed with our Czech partners to support the visit of this second medical team.”
The team members will also be able to adapt lessons learned from the Czech COVID response to anti-COVID measures in the United States.
The incoming team is expected to arrive in the Czech Republic in mid-November. They will join one medical professional from Nebraska who is already in the country. The Czech Republic’s State Partnership Program with the Nebraska and Texas National Guards began in 1993 and has been a model for partnership success. The program allows National Guard members to share best practices gained from their civilian and military jobs at an individual and unit level with their partners and allies.
“We are deeply proud of our friendship and partnership with the Czech nation and see this effort as a clear symbol of our commitment to fighting the pandemic together,” Ambassador King concluded.
