National Guard Activated To Support Long-Term Care Staff: Walz

MINNESOTA — Gov. Tim Walz is ordering Minnesota National Guard “response teams” to support long-term care facilities coping with staffing shortages amid a surge in new COVID-19 cases.

The governor is activating 400 National Guard members who will be trained and deployed as certified nursing assistants and temporary nursing aides, his office said Monday. Skilled-nursing facilities that are facing severe staffing issues can request a National Guard response team for up to three weeks at a time, the governor's office said.

National Guard members are also being deployed to alternative care facilities in Shakopee, Brainerd and Saint Paul to help patients who no longer need to be hospitalized, freeing up space for patients with COVID-19 and those who need emergency treatment, officials said.

Minnesota Is Now America's 'COVID-19 Hot Spot'

Walz said Monday that Minnesota’s recent spike in cases — which has made it America’s new COVID-19 hot spot — and staffing shortages at long-term care facilities require an “all hands on deck” response from the state.

He has proposed spending $50 million in federal funding to help long-term care facilities hire and keep employees.

“Financial support will help our skilled nursing facilities hire and retain talented staff to care for patients, and the Minnesota National Guard is preparing to fill any staffing gaps,” Walz said.

More than 22,000 people receive care at about 365 skilled-nursing facilities throughout Minnesota, officials said.

Defense Dept. To Send Medical Staff To MN Amid COVID-19 Surge

The governor announced last week that the U.S. Department of Defense is sending emergency staffing teams to help health care facilities amid the state's latest COVID-19 surge. The teams, composed of 22 medical personnel each, will support staff at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and the St. Cloud Hospital.

The federal medical teams are due to arrive in Minnesota this week.

Gayle Kvenvold, president and CEO of LeadingAge Minnesota, said in a news release that there are 23,000 open positions for long-term caregivers in Minnesota.

“A crisis of this scope requires bold solutions, and we know we cannot fix this problem alone,” Kvenvold said.