More Nat’l Guard troops to help hospitals

VW independent news and submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday that he has ordered the mobilization of an additional 1,250 members of the Ohio National Guard to support hospitals with the most critical needs across the state, including hospitals in Lima. The mobilization comes on the same day the state set an all-time high for the total number of COVID-19 hospitalizations during the pandemic.

The Ohio Hospital Association reported on Wednesday that 5,356 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. One in four patients are COVID-19 positive. This surpasses the previous hospitalizations record of 5,308 on December 15, 2020. Of the current hospitalizations, 1,228 patients are in the ICU, which is approaching the record high of 1,318 ICU patients reported on December 15, 2020.

Ohio National Guard deployment

As hospitals struggle with staffing to support the surge in COVID-19 patients, Governor DeWine announced during a press conference today, that he has asked Major General John C. Harris, Jr., Adjutant General, Ohio National Guard, to mobilize an additional 1,250 members of the Ohio National Guard, bringing the total deployment of National Guard members working with Ohio’s healthcare systems to 2,300 members.

“This is not something we take lightly,” Governor DeWine said. “We are asking them to leave their families, their jobs and homes. This is a huge sacrifice.”

Governor DeWine previously authorized the deployment of 1,050 Ohio National Guard members on Friday, December 17. Major General Harris said the Ohio National Guard’s goal is to augment hospitals’ medical staff and wraparound services. Teams including nurses and medics will provide clinical care and non-medical teams will offer support services such as food service, patient transportation within facilities, and administrative support.

Approximately 460 Guard members are deployed in the Cleveland area; more than 160 in the Toledo area; about 100 in Columbus area. Smaller numbers of the Guard will be deployed in the coming days in Mansfield, Dayton, and Lima to support hospitals. Guard personnel are also supporting testing sites in Cleveland and Akron. The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Hospital Association are working daily with Ohio hospitals to assess staffing needs to determine the most appropriate support from the Ohio National Guard.

“Everybody agreed when the decision was made to send in the National Guard to our hospitals,” DeWine said. “All the way through this, we are going to be guided by where they are needed most today. It should give people confidence that everybody is on the same page here.”

Hospitals

Hospitals have been taking extraordinary measures to manage this COVID-19 surge, including postponing elective surgeries, while battling staffing shortages as a result of COVID-19 infection or exposure, and burnout.

The northern parts of Ohio have been particularly hard hit, especially the greater Cleveland area, where one in three patients are COVID-19 positive, including ICU patients, according to OHA data.

Statewide, the COVID-19 positivity rate is 25 percent, according to Ohio Department of Health data.

Vaccination, prevention

Governor DeWine emphasized that the COVID-19 vaccines remain a powerful tool to keep people out of the hospital. Since June 1, 2021, there have been 35,962 admissions, and 92.5% of those have been among people who are not fully vaccinated.

Dewine said now more than ever, it’s critical to follow prevention strategies including getting vaccinated, getting a booster shot if eligible, wearing face masks, washing your hands frequently, getting tested, and staying home if sick, even if symptoms are mild.

“We are looking now at an impact of COVID-19 that is unlike anything we’ve seen before in this pandemic,” said Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA, Director, Ohio Department of Health. “We have access to a powerful tool that can really shield us from the worst outcomes of COVID-19, and that is vaccination.”

As of Wednesday, more than 6.9 million Ohioans have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That’s 63 percent of those Ohioans eligible (ages 5 and older). More than 2.6 million have received an additional dose, or a booster dose.

Masking in schools

Today, the Ohio Hospital Association also distributed a letter from the Ohio Hospital Association and Ohio Children’s Hospital Association to Ohio school superintendents, administrators and school board members encouraging them to implement a masking requirement when students return from the holiday break. A masking requirement in schools will help limit community spread of COVID-19 and keep students in school, the letter said.

Holidays

Dr. Vanderhoff encouraged Ohioans to celebrate safely this holiday weekend so we can all have a healthy start to 2022.

“As we get ready to ring in a new year, please, think about the steps you can take to prevent COVID-19 spread before you gather,” Vanderhoff said. “Keeping vaccinations up to date, appropriate testing, staying home if you feel the least bit sick, masking especially in crowded indoor environments, proper ventilation, and regular handwashing can all help prevent the spread of COVID-19, flu, and other illnesses this season.”