National Guard sends aid to Wisconsin long-term care facilities lacking staff

ALLOUEZ, Wis. (WBAY) - Long-term care facilities like nursing homes and assisted living communities had staffing problems before the pandemic. Now, the omicron surge has made it even worse. However, the National Guard has stepped in to try and help.

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard have deployed troop members to long-term care facilities like McCormick Assisted Living in Allouez. Eight new CNAs were added to the staff as of this week. The members started on Monday after completing a full 75 hour CNA course for nursing. They’re still training with St. Paul Elder Services which oversees McCormick Assisted Living.

By adding National Guard staff, long-term care facilities can open more beds and accept patients from hospitals that have run out of space. Local health leaders here are happy to have the help.

“They’ve been a fantastic addition so far,” Sondra Norder, president and chief executive officer for St. Paul Elder Services, said. “They’ve been a joy to work with. They’re really eager to serve and I think they feel really special about being called up to this project.”

The eight national guard members with St. Paul Elder Services will be there through April. However, there is a chance their services may be extended if needed.

“Even though 100% of our staff is vaccinated, we’ve had staff dropping like flies with break through infections,” Norder shared.

Due to omicron’s rapid spread, doctors are seeing hospital beds filled and health care teams depleted.

“The sheer kind of overwhelming nature of omicron means that a lot of the staff are getting sick,” Dr. Alexis Eastman, medical director of ambulatory geriatrics services at UW Health, emphasized. “Long-term care facilities were short staffed before the pandemic. Now, they’re really running on these skeleton crews because staff are out and the remainder of the staff are working heroic shifts, and hours, for these vulnerable people.”

The pandemic has led to many industries facing challenges when it comes to staffing. However, when it comes to recruiting at long-term care facilities there are particular problems like intense hands on service, long hours, and getting compensated for all of it.

“Just kind of being burned out and stressed with the really difficult work that we’re doing on the front lines of the COVID battle,” Norder said.

Long-term care facilities that have to tend to hundreds of patients also face the potentially complicated task of getting them to doctors appointments and physical therapy sessions.

“They’re often not driving,” Dr. Eastman highlighted. “They need to have transport from someone. If that person, like the staff at the facility or that loved one can’t drive them to the physical therapy appointment, that’s the first barrier. If the physical therapist or anyone in the clinic is out then the appointment gets rescheduled.”

Despite the difficulty, officials say there are still reasons to work at a long-term care facility.

“It provides purpose and meaning in somebody’s life,” Norder shared. “Those relationships that we build with the people that we serve are just really precious.”

If you want to work at St. Paul Elder Services, you can visit their career website to see what positions are open.

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