Owensboro resident and optometrist Patricia Adams is currently volunteering her time as a member of the Air National Guard to help local and state law enforcement manage drive-thru testing sites across the state.
Adams is currently stationed in Madisonville — one of the hardest-hit areas hit by COVID-19 — and will continue rotating to different locations wherever, and whenever, she’s needed. She has been a member of the Air National Guard for 14 years, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel along the way.
At the drive-thru testing site in Madisonville, Adams serves as the officer in charge and provides support to Kentucky State Police and local law enforcement who help manage the sites to keep them running smoothly.
“The sites have been incredibly organized,” she said. “The community is grateful for the opportunity to receive this care and have been very responsive to our presence at the site. It’s been a good experience.”
Adams volunteered to serve during the COVID-19 pandemic because as small business owners who run their own practice at Advantage Eye Care, she and her husband have been personally affected by the spread of the coronavirus.
“The testing sites are so important to the governor’s plan to help us through this pandemic,” she said. “They’ll help us reopen the economy and get back on track.”
Adams will remain in Madisonville through April 23 before she and her team move on to four new sites during the next week. Though Adams’ team probably won’t work at the new drive-thru site in Owensboro, her sense of community extends beyond the Daviess County border and she’s happy to serve any community.
“My team — we’re all Kentuckians ourselves, and we’ll be out here until we’re not needed anymore,” she said.
—–
Click here for all of our coronavirus coverage.
The Owensboro Health coronavirus hotline is available 24/7 by calling 877-888-6647. Call the hotline before seeking in-person care. More information from OH can be found here.
For the latest information and data on COVID-19 in Kentucky visit kycovid19.ky.gov or dial the Kentucky state hotline at 800-722-5725.
For the latest health guidelines and resources from the CDC, visit their website here.
