O’Bleness Hospital to welcome Ohio National Guard | News, Sports, Jobs

ATHENS — OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital Friday announced it will receive 10 members of the Ohio National Guard next week to assist with COVID-19 relief efforts.

Guard members will not provide direct patient care, but will serve as non-clinical support to care teams in various areas of the hospital and take on tasks to allow caregivers to focus on delivering care for patients as the community experiences a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. Examples include serving as patient companions, providing assistance to patients with mobility limitations, stocking supplies and answering phones.

“We appreciate the efforts of Gov. DeWine to deploy Ohio National Guard members across Ohio to assist hospitals including O’Bleness,” said LeeAnn Lucas-Helber, OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital president. “Though our hospital has remained stable throughout the pandemic and continues to provide safe and high-quality care for our community, our associates are feeling the strain of this present surge. The support of the Ohio National Guard will provide a welcome relief and we’re very grateful to accept this resource.”

Guard members will arrive at O’Bleness on Monday for orientation and will begin working at the hospital Tuesday. They will assist at O’Bleness for 90 days, however, assignments will be continually evaluated during that time and shortened or lengthened as needed.