A dozen National Guard members will report to work Monday at Terrace View Long-Term Care Facility as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s effort to alleviate staffing shortages in nursing homes across the state.
The help arrives just as Erie County reported its highest-ever weekly count of new Covid-19 cases – 5,535 in the week that ended Saturday.
Covid-19 deaths spiked across the region last week in a now-predictable pattern, following a monthlong surge in cases and hospitalizations.
That surpasses the previous record-high week in the pandemic – in January – by more than 1,000 cases, according to county officials.
As the number of local cases soars, so, too, does the strain on many health care facilities. Staffing has been a challenge throughout the pandemic, and in many cases has been exacerbated since the state imposed a vaccine mandate that prompted thousands of health care workers across New York to quit or be terminated in the past several weeks.
People are also reading…
At Terrace View, National Guard members will assist certified nursing assistants, according to Peter Cutler, a spokesperson for Erie County Medical Center, which operates the 390-bed nursing home.
Lisa Marie Thomas had finally come around to the decision to get vaccinated. Her appointment…
“ECMC is deeply appreciative to Gov. Hochul for providing staffing support to our caregivers as they continue to provide lifesaving care to the residents of Western New York,” Cutler said in an email.
The governor announced Wednesday that she would deploy a total of 120 members of the National Guard to assist in nine nursing homes and long-term care facilities, including Terrace View in Buffalo and The Pines Healthcare and Rehabilitation centers in Cattaraugus County.
The National Guard members have medical training comparable to civilian EMTs, a state National Guard spokesman has said.
“The difference between them and a civilian EMT is that our medics are trained to do it while somebody’s shooting at them,” spokesman Eric Durr told Newsday last week.
The National Guard members are scheduled to work at Terrace View until mid-January.
There are other factors pressuring local hospitals, from employee shortages to difficulties discharging patients who need to be in long-term care facilities that don't have room.
The federal government will pay their salaries and provide them with a housing allowance, according to Durr. ECMC has not been asked to reimburse any of those expenses, Cutler said.
Erie County logged the highest number of Covid-19 cases ever in a single week last week, according to preliminary data, as the Delta variant surges and the area continues its fourth wave.
There were 741 positive cases confirmed Saturday, bringing the total for the past seven days to 5,535, according to the Erie County Department of Health.
"Based on preliminary data, the week ending 12/4/2021 will have the most Covid-19 cases reported in one week since the beginning of the pandemic," Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said in a tweet Sunday.
The positivity rate was 10.9%, with 580 total new cases per 100,000 Erie County residents over the past seven days.
With Covid-19 cases again skyrocketing, Western New York's hospitals returned to more restrictive patient-visitation policies in recent days.
The previous highest week for people testing positive in Erie County was the week ending Jan. 9, when there were 4,399 confirmed cases, according to Health Department spokeswoman Kara Kane.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in Erie County through Saturday totaled 129,656, nearly a six-fold increase since January.
As of Friday, hospitals in Erie County had 366 Covid-19 patients, up 13, with 51% of patients 64 or younger. Two-thirds of patients were not fully vaccinated. Six people died Friday.
