Guard troops deployed to help hospital employees

Several more local hospitals will receive the help of Ohio National Guard members to alleviate frontline workers during this new wave of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine authorized 2,300 members of the Ohio National Guard to help relieve hospital employees struggling to deal with the rising number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Of those Guard members, 150 are nurses or EMTS.

About 40 National Guard members were deployed to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center last week to provide clinical and nonclinical support. Most will assist with environmental services, nutrition services and patient transportation. Another 10 Guard members will care for patients in the hospital’s emergency department.

Seventy Guard members were also deployed at Mount Carmel East Hospital last week. Most of the deployments have been prioritized for northern Ohio cities like Akron and Canton, which have seen many of the increased COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Ohio set a new record Wednesday for COVID-19 hospitalizations: 5,356 patients. The previous record for hospitalizations was 5,308 on Dec. 15, 2020.

“We are so maxed. We are tired and we are frustrated and we want the best for all of our patients,” Jennifer Hollis, a critical care nurse at Ohiohealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, said during Dewine’s COVID-19 presser on Wednesday.

Hollis pleaded for people to get vaccinated.

Ohio also broke a new record for daily reported COVID-19 cases Wednesday with 20,320 cases. shendrix@dispatch.com @sheridan120