National Guard ends work at Oregon State Hospital
National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Weaver, right, speaks with guard members undergoing a training at Oregon State Hospital on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. The Guard ended their mission at the hospital on June 30, 2022 (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
After working for almost a year to stem staffing shortages at Oregon State Hospital, the National Guard has ended its deployment.
The Guard’s mission at the Salem hospital ended June 30, with 12 soldiers and airmen working on tasks including supporting patient care, working in the kitchen, cleaning and working with mental health technicians, according to a news release from the Oregon Military Division.
Guard members were first deployed to the hospital in early June 2021 in response to a staffing crisis resulting from a high number of employees out on Covid leave. Guard members began working June 24 following training, and remained at the hospital through the end of July under a $1.2 million contract. Following their departure, mandated overtime for hospital employees climbed.
Guard members returned to the hospital under a second deployment in September, with a contract initially through the end of 2021.
A total of 47 guard members worked at the state hospital at some point during that deployment, the release said, with a high of 32 assigned at one time. Ten of those deployed to the hospital have applied for civilian positions, the release said.
With the guard deployment ending, nursing employees will cover their duties through a combination of new hires, overtime and contracted agency staff, hospital spokeswoman Amber Shoebridge said. The hospital still has active contracts in place for nursing employees and mental health technicians, she said.
-Rachel Alexander
