When patients from the Cleveland Clinic Akron General emergency department are sent to a triage room, it’s possible that one of the first healthcare workers they’ll encounter is Ohio National Guard Spc. Eli Schlerett.

Schleret, 23, a doctor from Groveport, usually wears the same medical gowns as other health care workers at Akron General, but this is a new addition.

Following:Akron-area hospitals and state struggle to treat COVID spike that ‘shouldn’t be happening’

He is one of 105 members of the Ohio National Guard who have since been deployed before Christmas by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to Akron General and Summa Health hospitals in Akron City and Barberton. Another 30 guard members were stationed at the collaborative COVID-19 testing site at Summa headquarters, run by workers from area hospitals and the National Guard.

More than 2,300 members of the Air National Guards and Ohio Army were activated statewide by the governor to relieve pressure on hospitals, primarily in northeast Ohio .

Additional members have been deployed as more testing facilities across the state open. The 30-member guard at the Summa site, which announced it will close next Sunday due to a drop in demand for testing, will be redeployed to southern Ohio, where cases are rising, according to Summa.

Following:Summit County COVID-19 drive-thru testing site closed due to lower demand

Schleret has been in the National Guard for 3½ years but has never been fully deployed. He’s been on shorter COVID missions since 2020, including testing, vaccinations and helping out at a nursing home.

When not deployed, Schleret works as an EMT for a private company in Columbus.

The job is slightly different as he is used to treating patients from the back of an ambulance instead of helping in an emergency room. At Akron General, he takes life-saving measurements, does blood tests, and helps nurses care for patients.

“We had to do a lot of patient care. It seems that the staff and the patients have been very receptive to us. The staff obviously seem very grateful for our help,” Schleret said in a phone interview.

Patients may not know that Schleret or others are part of the Ohio National Guard unless it comes up in conversation, he said.

“Once they find out we’re in custody, they’re usually interested and also appreciate that we’re here,” he said.

Local deployment

There are 40 guard members at Akron General, including 10 medics and 30 in general support such as cleaning, food service and transportation, said Capt. Jayme Aksterowicz, guard public affairs officer for the group. working group supervising hospital missions.

Summa has 10 doctors at the Akron hospital and 50 in general support. There are also five medics at Barberton Hospital and 30 at the Summa testing site.

The deployed clinical service members are all military medics who have basic EMT certification and additional medical training, National Guard spokeswoman Stephanie Beougher said.

“The skill set of a military medic is not transferable to a single position in a civilian clinical setting, but rather spread across three or four different positions,” she said.

The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Hospital Association are assessing the situation to determine where to send National Guard members, Beougher said.

Deployment orders for members are subject to change, depending on the needs of the mission, said Aksterowicz, of North Township.

A service member may have gotten an initial deployment of 60 days, for example, but “the situation is constantly changing and fluid. At the end of the day, we’re here until we’re done,” he said.

Earlier this week, President Joe Biden sent more military personnel to hospitals in six states, including Ohio. Cleveland Clinic Akron General spokesman Joe Milicia confirmed that 20 Air Force doctors will come to the Cleveland Clinic, likely to the main campus in Cleveland, next week.

Following:Biden is deploying medical teams to states including Ohio

All guards deployed to hospitals are vaccinated. But DeWine and the Ohio National Guard chief both expressed frustration that a large number of Ohio National Guard personnel cannot be deployed because 56% are fully vaccinated and 11% are partially vaccinated, on January 7. 53% a few weeks ago. Members of the Ohio Air National Guard, who had a Dec. 2 COVID vaccination deadline, have higher rates of 91% fully vaccinated.

Following:Gov. Mike DeWine: ‘Not happy’ with Guard vaccination rate as units deploy for hospitals

Ohio Adjutant General Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr. advanced the vaccination requirement date for the Army National Guard from June 30 to March 31 to deploy more members.

“Ohioans helping Ohioans”

Many of the Guard members deployed to Akron hospitals are serving close to home.

SPC. Stacy Puzines is from Columbus but lives in Cuyahoga Falls, Senior Master Sgt. Eric Tanko is from Wadsworth and Sgt. Julia Prebonick is originally from Akron.

Puzines, 22, specializes in the motorized transport of large trucks and military equipment. When not deployed, she works as a carpenter.

Puzines arrived at Akron General on January 3 and helped deliver food to patients and transport patients when they are discharged.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, working with the community,” said Puzines, who was deployed to help with hurricane relief in Florida and for Biden’s inauguration. “All the staff, doctors, nurses, security – everyone at the hospital is very happy that we are here.”

Puzines said she was proud to be an “Ohioian helping Ohioans.”

“Being part of the guard is our big thing,” she said. “We want to help the community.”

Tanko, 42, is in charge of a team of 10 guard members who help with housekeeping, food services and patient transportation at the City of Akron Hospital.

A four-year veteran of the U.S. Army and 15-year veteran of the Ohio Air National Guard, Tanko has had several overseas deployments including Iraq, Africa, Panama and other assignments in the United States.

His team usually specializes in construction and engineering, so they do a lot of different work than their normal expertise.

“I would say we are in the best position for the mission at the moment because we are available and ready to help,” he said of the team which arrived before Christmas.

“I do a lot of mopping, I empty the bins… I want the rooms turned over as quickly as possible so they can accommodate more patients,” said Tanko, whose civilian job is to work in water treatment. worn out. for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

Prebonick, an Ohio National Guard medic, has been helping in the Akron Hospital emergency department since before Christmas.

Emergency rooms have been pretty much full with a full waiting room, so “bustle is sometimes an understatement,” said Prebonick, 24.

She and other on-call doctors assisted nursing staff with patient care, including taking vital signs and taking blood and nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing.

The average person may think tasks like getting warm blankets or helping reposition someone are “simple,” Prebonick said.

“It’s a big deal for nurses because it helps them,” she said. “There have been patients who may be struggling to eat, so it’s easy for us to go in there and help someone with breakfast or dinner while the nurses are doing other things. .”

The hospital is the first deployment for the six-year veteran, whose civilian job is to recover eligible tissue from organ donors for LifeBanc.

Being deployed to her hometown, down the street from the University of Akron, where she graduated, is special.

“Really working within my community and helping the people who live in my town as well… really puts it all into perspective,” she said. “That’s why I signed up to do what I did, and it’s really rewarding.”

Hospitals grateful for help

Executives from Summa and Akron General say they appreciate the help from members of the National Guard.

Dr. David Custodio, president of the Akron and St. Thomas campuses of Summa Health, said hardworking members of the National Guard “have helped our employees care for patients and provide essential services at our facilities. “.

“Summa Health, like the majority of health systems across the country, has been in crisis mode with an increase in COVID-19 cases, which has strained our resources and our employees,” he said. declared. “When Governor DeWine announced a month ago that we would be receiving assistance from the National Guard, we breathed a sigh of relief – knowing that help was on the way and that we could take better care of our community in need.”

Jonathan Sanchez, nurse in charge of Akron General’s emergency department, agreed that National Guard members “have been a huge help.”

“We greatly appreciate their support here at Cleveland Clinic Akron General,” he said. “Their assistance has helped our caregivers support the community and its medical needs during these difficult times.”

Titus Wu, a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, contributed to this report. Beacon Journal reporter Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or [email protected] Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ. To see her most recent stories and columns, go to www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher.