Fergus Falls one of three Receiving National Guard Skilled-Nursing Response Teams

ST. PAUL (KDLM) – Governor Tim Walz announced the deployment of the first three National Guard skilled-nursing response teams to support long-term care facilities facing severe staffing shortages, Monday. Additionally, a fourth alternative care site will open this week to which hospitals can send non-critical patients as they work to open bed space for those sick with COVID-19.

Walz also announced a new initiative to recruit, train, and deploy at least 1,000 new certified nursing assistants for Minnesota long-term care facilities experiencing staffing shortages by the end of January.

Fifty National Guard service members will provide staffing support to North Ridge Health and Rehab in New Hope, Mille Lacs Health System Long Term Care in Onamia, and PioneerCare in Fergus Falls. The response teams arrived Monday and will begin providing care Tuesday.

Last month, Governor Walz activated the Minnesota National Guard to provide emergency support to facilities that experience severe staffing crises or are at risk of closure. About 400 National Guard members have been trained as certified nursing assistants and temporary nursing aides and will deploy as response teams to qualifying Minnesota long-term care facilities.

In addition to Monday’s deployments, more long-term care sites around the state will receive National Guard response teams later this week.

The Minnesota National Guard has nearly 600 service members supporting COVID-19 operations across the state. In addition to the support at long-term care facilities, they are providing testing support at six COVID-19 community-based testing sites.