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National Guard medics to fill in at Mohawk Valley Health System nursing home to relieve overtaxed hospitals

Observer-Dispatch - 12/2/2021

The state is sending a group of 10 National Guard medics to the Mohawk Valley Health System Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on the St. Luke's Campus to help the nursing home take care of more patients.

That will let the hospital discharge more patients who remain in the hospital waiting for long-term-care beds to open, President/CEO Darlene Stromstad said in a statement.

"MVHS, like hospitals across Central and Upstate New York, has been challenged by workforce shortages which are occurring at the same time there has been a dramatic increase in acutely ill patients seeking care and treatment," Stromstad explained in the statement. "At the same time, we've experienced an increase in the number of COVID patients. This has led to unprecedented numbers of patients seeking care in our emergency departments as well as demand for inpatient stays."

The short staffing in area health facilities springs from both a long-term shortage of workers in health care fields and a recent, sudden loss of many workers who refused to comply with a state COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

And the worker shortage has extended into other kinds of health care facilities, including nursing homes, Stromstad noted.

"Ten additional professionals to serve as certified nursing assistants will add to RNC's capacity," she said in the statement, "and allow us to alleviate some of the pressure in our two hospitals."

More: More patients, fewer workers: Mohawk Valley Health System limits services amid staffing shortage

More: Mohawk Valley hospitals predict waits after vaccine mandate forces employees out

The details of their arrival and work at the nursing home, formerly known as St. Luke's Home, are still being worked out, but they will remain until mid-January, Stromstad said.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that the state would deploy 60 National Guard medical teams to long-term-care facilities across the state.

MVHS is putting several plans in place to deal with the challenges of so many patients and so few workers, Stromstad said.

"The offer from the State of New York to receive assistance from 10 National Guard medics through mid-January will be helpful," she said in the statement. "We are eager to meet them and know they will help decompress our hospital beds for those who have acute illnesses."

Amy Roth is the health and education reporter for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Amy Roth at aroth@gannett.com.

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