More National Guard Support Deployed to Nursing Homes This Week
As members are aware, members of the National Guard have been deployed to various not-for-profit and public nursing homes statewide due to staffing shortages. In response to the Department of Health (DOH) survey conducted earlier this month, additional assistance will be deployed this week. Unfortunately, the Department was not able to address all of the requests submitted with the resources available, however. Thus, the Department is, at this time, prioritizing providers that have not yet received support from the National Guard and larger nursing homes. A representative from the National Guard will be reaching out to nursing homes regarding the deployment details using the contact person provided in the Health Emergency Response Data System (HERDS) survey.
Guard members can assist paraprofessional staff or otherwise provide general purpose assistance to nursing homes and perform non-direct patient care tasks (assist activity personnel, visitor screening, data entry, dietary work, etc.). Medics can be trained as temporary nurse aides (TNAs).
The guard members should also have completed their primary vaccination series and have their vaccination card.
Nursing homes are expected to:
- Provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE);
- Conduct basic orientation and training;
- Complete required health screenings, including tuberculin testing; and
- Complete Criminal History Record Checks (CHRCs) as required for duties assigned.
In our conversations with the Department, they have clarified that CHRCs will be required based on the nature of the assignment given. A record check is required if the guard members are working with residents or have access to resident rooms. The guard members should arrive with the proper paperwork to get a CHRC, and the Department will work to expedite the process so that you will get a quick response.
The National Guard will work directly with each nursing home on exact schedules and is expected to be available through May 31st.
Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828