Walz names long-term care sites to get Guard staffing help

FILE – In this Tuesday, July 21, 2020 file photo, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz provides an update in St. Paul, Minn., on the state’s plan to mitigate …

FILE – In this Tuesday, July 21, 2020 file photo, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz provides an update in St. Paul, Minn., on the state’s plan to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities. Walz is expected to sign a police accountability bill into law Thursday, July 23 that includes a ban on neck restraints like the one that was used on George Floyd before his death in Minneapolis. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, File)

by: The Associated Press

Posted: Dec 6, 2021 / 03:54 PM CST

Updated: Dec 6, 2021 / 03:54 PM CST

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday sent the first three Minnesota National Guard skilled nursing teams to care facilities statewide on Monday in an effort to fix staffing woes amid the current wave of COVID-19 infections.

Walz on Monday also announced plans to recruit and train at least 1,000 certified nursing assistants to deploy to long-term care facilities by the end of January.

The governor also announced the opening of a fourth alternative care site this week for hospitals to send non-critical patients in order to free up space as the current surge in virus infections continues to strain hospital capacity statewide.