Eight employees from the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) recently joined more than 1,400 other U.S. Department of Agriculture employees across the country to assist in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s COVID-19 vaccination effort.
According to a release from USDA Friday, some employees helped with operational tasks associated with clinics, others assisted with vaccination experience like NBAF’s highly-trained veterinarians administering shots. NBAF personnel were deployed to several locations from New England to Oregon and even Oklahoma.
NBAF Coordinator Dr. Ken Burton said in a statement that it’s an example of how NBAF is not only focused on large animal diseases, but also playing a key role in supporting future public health crises with respect to livestock research, diagnostics, countermeasure development, training and response,
“These NBAF employees who have volunteered their time to help with vaccination efforts is a prime example of how NBAF employees are committed to creating a more resilient America.”
Deployments ranged from two weeks to 30 days.
Among the employees who deployed were Alicia Altman, animal health technician and compliance officer; Steve Behan and Ediane Silva, supervisory veterinary medical officers; Trena Chandler, purchasing agent; Erik Dedrickson, utility systems repairer/operator for the effluent decontamination systems; Tricia Delarosa, microbiologist supervisor; Luis Dossantos, laboratory worker; and Jeff Winkel, pipe fitter.
Learn more about the recent employee deployments here.
