By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor

In response to the rising rate of hospitalizations related to COVID-19, several of the nation’s governors have deployed National Guard units to support hospitals struggling to maintain staffing levels during the surge.

In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills recently announced that members of the Maine National Guard will deploy to 10 healthcare facilities across the state to help relieve hospitals experiencing capacity challenges and to maintain access to inpatient healthcare. The action should provide an estimated total of 80 additional inpatient hospital beds.The National Guard will be used in non-clinical support roles to provide support to nursing facilities and swing bed units that accept patients discharged from hospitals experiencing critical care capacity challenges, as well as to help administer monoclonal antibodies to prevent serious illness from COVID-19 and keep residents out of critical care, preserving intensive care unitcapacity.

In Massachusetts, the Baker-Polito administration announced additional measures to address a recent rise in COVID-19 cases. The Commonwealth’s healthcare system is facing a critical staffing shortage which has contributed to the loss of approximately 500 medical/surgical and ICU hospital beds since the beginning of the year. Hospitals are also seeing a high level of patients, many due to non-COVID related reasons.

The state’s Department of Public Health surveyed all hospitals and ambulance service providers and identified five key roles non-clinical Guard personnel can serve in support hospital operations:

• non-emergency transport between facilities, driving ambulances used to transfer patients between two healthcare locations, such as when patients are discharged from a hospital and transferred to a long-term care facility
• security support to help maintain a safe workplace
• in-hospital transport, bringing patients via wheelchair or, if needed, stretcher, from their patient room to tests, such as x-ray or CT scan, or from the emergency department to their inpatient floor
• food service/tray delivery support delivering patient meals to their rooms.

In Ohio, Gov.Michael DeWine recently mobilized 1,050 members of the Ohio National Guard to help relieve the hospital staffing strain. Of the total mobilized guard members, approximately 150 are highly-trained medical professionals and will deploy to help meet critical needs at hospitals and testing locations. The remaining 900 guard members will help with patient transport, housekeeping, and food services.