(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced the Ohio National Guard will support additional COVID-19 testing locations in Gallipolis, Toledo, and Mansfield, bringing the total number of Guard-supported testing locations to 15.
This additional assistance is part of continued efforts to ease some of the burden on the state’s hardest-hit hospitals as COVID-19 case rates surge, driving hospitalizations and ICU admissions this month to their highest levels throughout the pandemic. On Wednesday, the Ohio Hospital Association reported 6,637 COVID-19 inpatient hospitalizations.
The total deployment of National Guard members working with Ohio’s healthcare systems is now at about 2,300 members. This includes approximately 200 Guard members offering medical support, and approximately 2,100 offering general support, including testing, food services, in-hospital patient transportation, administrative tasks, and more. Approximately 350 Guard members are supporting testing. (Note that not all Guard members who have been deployed are on site yet.)
In addition, The Cleveland Clinic will be receiving federal assistance from a team of 20 U.S. Air Force medical professionals. The team will include nurses, physicians, and respiratory therapists.
The Cleveland Clinic asked the state for this support as hospitalizations were peaking, and the Ohio Department of Health, in coordination with the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to seek assistance.
The team will begin working next week at the main campus. Past deployments like this have lasted about one or two months. The Cleveland Clinic shares that this support will help them to open closed beds and accept transfers.
This is another example of how Ohio has taken statewide action to assist with coordination among hospitals and to ease staffing stress on hospitals.
Adding more medical staff will benefit the entire region and will supplement the efforts of the National Guard and the existing staff in maintaining standards of care through this COVID surge.
National Guard Supported Testing Locations
As of today, the Guard is currently supporting or is preparing to support the following locations that offer COVID-19 tests for people age 2 years and older.
Start dates, specific locations, and plans for pending locations are subject to change. Testing locations supported by National Guard members will test individuals age 2 years and older. Check with your local testing site for potential age restrictions.
CURRENTLY SUPPORTING:
- Akron: Atrium Testing Site (Summa Health), 1077 Gorge Blvd., Akron.
- Canton: (Aultman/Cleveland Clinic Mercy), Stark County Fairgrounds, 305 Wertz Ave. NW, Canton.
- Chillicothe: Adena Regional Medical Center, 272 Hospital Road, Chillicothe.
- Cincinnati: (Ethos Laboratories), Crossroads Church, 990 Reading Road, Mason.
- Cincinnati: (Ethos Laboratories), Riverbend, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati.
- Cincinnati: UC Health, 3229 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati.
- Cleveland: Walker Center (Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals), 10524 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
- Columbus: (Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center), first floor of the CAS parking garage at 2540 Olentangy River Road, Columbus.
- Dayton: (Premier Health) Miami Valley Hospital, 1 Wyoming St., Dayton.
- Maumee: Lucas County Recreation Center, 2901 Key St., Maumee.
- Springboro: Dayton Children’s Hospital Springboro COVID-19 testing site, 3300 W. Tech Road, Springboro.
- Zanesville: Genesis Hospital, 2951 Maple Ave., Zanesville.
STARTING THIS WEEK:
- Gallipolis: Holzer Health System, 2881 OH-160, Gallipolis.
PENDING:
- Mansfield: Avita Ontario Hospital, 715 Richland Mall, Mansfield.
- Toledo: Site TBD
Throughout the past couple of weeks, Governor Mike DeWine has announced waves of Ohio National Guard activations designed specifically to provide staffing support – both clinical and nonclinical – to Ohio hospitals facing growing clinical demands coupled with staffing challenges resulting from the surge in COVID-19 cases. The Ohio Department of Health has been working closely with the Guard, the Ohio Hospital Association, and the hospital zone leaders to identify where these resources can have the most impact for the overall statewide hospital infrastructure. These decisions are based on factors including case levels, emergency department strain, hospital capacity, and other actions taken by the hospital to decompress. The testing locations are helping to divert testing traffic from hospital emergency rooms and expanding access to testing for Ohioans. The Guard has been supporting COVID-19 missions for more than 20 months.
The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Hospital Association are evaluating the situation in Ohio’s hospitals daily to assess and maximize staffing to ensure Guard members are assisting in locations with the most critical needs. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients and testing needs change every day, and staffing adjustments are being made accordingly.