Troops from the National Guard have begun helping at Saint Alphonsus after Gov. Brad Little enabled more troops to come in as the state moves to Stage 2.
The troops began training to help with COVID-19 testing clinics at the Saint Alphonsus Meridian Health Plaza at 12th Ave. in Nampa. Little's order allows troops from the Air and Army National Guard to assist for 30 days, according to Saint Als. The troops will help with staffing shortages as more staff are out due to coronavirus.
Troops will help with both clinical and non-clinical tasks, which include guiding traffic, registering patients and collecting samples for analysis, according to the hospital system.
“Due to the increased incidence of COVID-19 and community need for testing and evaluation, we have prioritized our clinical staffing at our Saint Alphonsus COVID testing sites, resulting in temporary suspension of services at other urgent care clinics,” said Dr. Mark Nassir, President of the Saint Alphonsus Medical Groupv in a statement. “The assistance provided by the Idaho National Guard medical personnel brings incredible lift to our mission. We express gratitude and thanks on behalf of the hard-working, dedicated healthcare professionals serving on the front lines of this pandemic battle, as they care for all patients across our Idaho communities.”
