Gov. Evers Announces Wisconsin National Guard to Support Hospital and Nursing Home Capacity
Late post. But glad the hospital staff will be getting some much needed help.
State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 01/13/2022 12:52 PM CST
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2022
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov
Gov. Evers Announces Wisconsin National Guard to Support Hospital and Nursing Home Capacity
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/30580f0
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced new efforts with the Wisconsin National Guard to bring needed staffing support to Wisconsin's hospitals and nursing homes by training Wisconsin National Guard members as certified nursing assistants. In an effort to free up capacity at hospitals, staffing relief will allow skilled nursing facilities to open up 200 or more beds by the end of February to receive post-acute care patients. This week, approximately 50 Wisconsin National Guard members were deployed to six nursing homes across the state. A group of about 80 members who started training this week will deploy at the end of January. Another group of about 80 members will start training in early February to deploy by the end of February.
The news comes as last week, the Evers Administration provided an update on its efforts to support Wisconsin’s healthcare system by working with staffing agencies to recruit staff for health and residential care providers. As of Jan. 12, 2022, the Evers Administration has worked with staffing agencies to recruit 626 nurses, nursing assistants, and other types of health care workers to support 76 health and residential care facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities across the state.
“As we continue to see COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge, we are pursuing every available option to bring needed staffing support to Wisconsin’s health systems,” said Gov. Evers. “I’m proud to announce our new partnership with Madison College to provide training to Wisconsin National Guard members so by the end of February we can welcome more than 200 new certified nursing assistants in nursing homes across our state and expand capacity.”
“As cases of Omicron continue to surge, this support is critical for supporting Wisconsin’s nursing homes,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “We continue to hear from our nursing home providers that they need more support to care for patients as our health system continues to be stressed by nearly two years of a global pandemic. Our new partnership with Madison College and the Wisconsin National Guard will help us ensure Wisconsinites have access to the care they need and help us increase critical healthcare capacity.”
Support for Wisconsin’s healthcare system is critical as Wisconsin continues to see an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases. The state is reporting a record 13,004 new confirmed COVID-19 cases today, bringing the current seven-day average to 9,915. The seven-day average has nearly doubled over the past two weeks and is now 50 percent higher than the November 2020 peak. Wisconsin is also seeing a record number of patients in intensive care units with COVID-19, at 488. There are currently 2,278 total COVID-19 patients in the state, an increase of 276 patients over the past week.
“The Wisconsin National Guard has been heavily engaged in the battle against COVID-19 since day one of this pandemic,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp. “We see ourselves as neighbors helping neighbors, and when we say that, we mean it. We will continue to assist our state in any way we can because we live and work in these same communities across Wisconsin.”
The Wisconsin National Guard has been a critical partner in helping Wisconsin respond to the COVID-19 pandemic since it started nearly two years ago and has played a key role in supporting COVID-19 testing and vaccination. Since the pandemic began, the Wisconsin National Guard has administered approximately 1.2 million COVID tests, more than 230,000 vaccines, and has taken on a variety of other missions ranging from assisting medical examiners, staffing a state call center to inform residents of test results, managing vaccines stockpiles and personal protective equipment warehouses, staffing self-isolation facilities, and now providing direct care as certified nursing assistants.
“Our healthcare providers are beyond exhausted. We simply do not have enough staff to care for all those who are ill,” said Dr. Lisa Greenwood, Madison College’s associate dean of nursing. “This historic partnership between Madison College and the National Guard is critical in providing Wisconsin communities and the healthcare industry the help they desperately need in the fight against COVID-19.”
For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. We encourage you to follow @DHSWI on Facebook, Twitter, or dhs.wi on Instagram for more information on COVID-19.
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And an email I got:
COVID-19 Response and Vaccination Update
Inbox
Wisconsin Department of Health Services Unsubscribe
5:02 PM (42 minutes ago)
to me
Weekly Update: January 18, 2022
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
COVID-19 Update
Weekly Update: January 18, 2022
ICYMI: Recent DHS Media Recap
Evers Administration, DHS, DPI Remind Schools of Support, Resources Available to Help Keep Kids and Educators Safe in School as Omicron Spreads
Evers Administration Continues COVID-19 Testing Efforts, Support
Evers Announces Wisconsin National Guard to Support Hospital and Nursing Home Capacity
DHS Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
MLK Day
We strive to keep Dr. King’s words alive here at DHS. We believe your ability to be healthy is a right, and that it is our duty to ensure all Wisconsinites can live their best lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has cast harsh light on the health inequities present across the nation as well as right here in Wisconsin. The pandemic has been hard on everyone, but the data shows that Wisconsin’s Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
To see the data, visit the COVID-19: Racial and Ethnic Disparities page. And to learn more about how DHS is working to center equity in our work to reduce health disparities, visit the DHS Office of Health Equity home page.
Data Update: Illness After Vaccination Page
December Illness After Vaccination
DHS has updated the COVID-19 Illness After Vaccination data page with data for December 2021. To learn more, visit the DHS COVID-19: Illness After Vaccination data page. As the number of fully vaccinated individuals increase, and disease activity remains high due to the Omicron variant, we can expect to see an increase in the number of fully vaccinated individuals who test positive, are hospitalized, and die from COVID-19.
Even as cases continue to increase rapidly due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant, vaccines and booster doses remain highly effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. It is critical to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and to stay up to date by getting a booster dose after 5 months (or 2 months if you received a J&J vaccine). The COVID-19 vaccines remain the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community from COVID-19. Vaccination locations can be found at vaccines.gov (https://vacunas.gov/) or by call 211.
Reminder: COVID-19 Testing Options
DHS reminds Wisconsinites to put their health first this new year. If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please get tested, stay home, and take care of yourself. If you need to be around others, wear a well-fitting mask. If you are exposed to COVID-19 and do not have symptoms, wait 5-7 days before getting tested.
Demand for COVID-19 testing is high, but there are still many ways to get tested in Wisconsin. Trusted testing partners include local health departments, community testing sites, pharmacies, and health care providers. We encourage you to contact your doctor or primary health care provider to see if they offer testing.
We encourage you to plan ahead as much as possible and please be patient with staff at these sites. Rapid over-the-counter at-home test are available for purchase at many pharmacies and online. Wisconsinites can also request at-home collection kits, a type of at-home test, to be delivered to their home at no cost. The results of these tests are usually available in several days. See a list of products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If you need help finding a test, contact your local or tribal health department or call 211.
Starting January 18, Americans will be able to order free, at-home rapid COVID-19 tests online at COVIDTests.gov. This federal program ships tests directly to households within 7-12 days of ordering. To ensure broad access, the program will limit the number of tests sent to each residential address to four tests. To learn more, view the full statement online.
DHS also recommends that everyone continue to complete the appropriate quarantine or isolation guidance after being exposed to, or diagnosed with COVID-19. Due to the large numbers of cases, not everyone who has COVID-19 or is exposed will get a call from public health. Individuals can assist public health efforts by informing their close contacts who were exposed to COVID-19.
Critically High Case Activity: All 72 Wisconsin Counties
72 Counties Critically High
https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/jwnxUWlq2Q-xAa2fTDl6BZ_bRkW-g-gvEU-EuyL748ZiApWIayzbAzL8K5jFxIzPseGABv_nF1fgF4fT-Twe3nKGxnkFnGIybPCkecqrLzP8sK5EsG09BKlkElmNAQMQk09n7Ru9u2RgauTJkzsUTFT_taLPtwJbSyFpr4FdPRxR453ppzsJRJNA=s0-d-e1-ft#
As of January 12, all 72 Wisconsin counties are experiencing Critically High COVID-19 case activity. That means that over the previous two weeks they have reported more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 residents. Most counties are also showing a growing trajectory in cases, meaning their COVID-19 case rate has increased by at least 10 percent over the past week.
It is crucial that everyone do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19. That includes: getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing a well-fitting mask in public indoor settings, and staying home if you are feeling sick.
Vaccine Distribution Summary
Check out the latest data on Wisconsin’s vaccination effort. DHS updates provider data every Tuesday, and the administered number is updated every weekday at 2 p.m.
COVID-19 by the Numbers
• Cases
• Deaths
• Disease Activity
• Race and Ethnic Disparities
• Vaccine