VHA SimLEARN
Orlando Nurse Practitioner Mobilized to New York in Support of COVID-19 Battle
By Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Scott
Army Reserve Medical Command
ORLANDO, Fla. – Maj. Lisa Hubbard deployed to Afghanistan in 2003, but recently, she had less than 24 hours to gather her equipment and report to serve in an Army Reserve Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force (UAMTF). Hubbard is a nurse practitioner and Simulation Instructor at the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center in Orlando, Florida. She also works at the Orlando VA Health Care System in the Emergency Department approximately 10% of her time.
"This is what I signed up for. This is not a job but a calling. I am humbled for the opportunity to help save American lives” stated Hubbard, an Army Reserve Soldier who serves as a 66P, nurse practitioner.
Hubbard initially joined the Navy Reserve, the branch her father served with, before finding her way to the Army Reserve.
“When I graduated nursing school in 1995, I decided that the Army Reserve had so much more to offer in regards to the Army Nurse Corps. Thanks to the Army, I was able to continue on with my education and obtain my advanced degree and become a Nurse Practitioner,” recounted Hubbard.
A graduate of Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin, Hubbard is a member of the Army Reserve Medical Command, South East Medical Area Readiness Group, 7217th Medical Support Unit based in Miami. Retired once from the military, her commitment to her nation led her to return to service in 2018.
“I retired from the Army Reserve in 2013 with 22 years of service. I was contacted by an Army medical recruiter two years after retirement, asking if I would like to come back in. I missed putting on the uniform and serving this nation, so I came back into the Army Reserve in October of 2018 after a four-year break in service. It is my pleasure to continue to serve this nation,” commented Hubbard.
Hubbard is now serving at the Javits Center in the New York City area. She is one of more than 1,200 Army Reserve medical professionals that have been assembled into UAMTFs as part of the Department of Defense response to COVID-19.
Specifically created to respond in this time of crisis, UAMTFs augment the civilian medical community by delivering a wide range of critical medical capabilities, including medical providers, nurses, respiratory therapists and an infectious disease specialist. Each 85-Soldier team is capable of supporting 250 low-acuity patients.
A wife and mother, Hubbard shared that although her family is concerned for her health, “they are extremely supportive and very proud.”
“This mission is unprecedented. Never has the Army Reserve done anything like this,” she said. “I am proud to serve and take care of the American people.”
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