Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers seeks 100 FEMA workers, utilizes National Guard nurses for hospital staffing shortages as COVID-19 surges

Gov. Tony Evers is asking the Biden administration to send 100 federal health care workers to Wisconsin and is utilizing National Guard nurses in state mental health hospitals as hundreds of health care facilities say they need help to combat staffing shortages and a surge of COVID-19 cases.

Hospitals and long-term care facilities in Wisconsin are entering a crisis, state health officials said Wednesday, as COVID-19 infections rise while health care facilities experiencing staffing shortages continue to provide care for other ailments including the seasonal flu.

As hospital beds decrease, the Evers administration is asking the Biden administration for five medical reserve teams of 20 workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send into health care facilities — workers that have been deployed to other states experiencing surges.

Track COVID and the vaccine in Wisconsin: See the latest data on cases, deaths and administered doses

At the same time, state Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake said in a media briefing Wednesday that the state is utilizing National Guard nurses to fill staffing gaps in state facilities. For the first time in state history, 60 guard members will train to work as nursing assistants in state-run mental health institutions, some of which treat severely mentally ill patients who are confined there involuntarily.

Evers said he is not currently considering deploying Guard members en masse to new positions to combat the COVID-19 surge but will monitor the situation.

"We will do everything we can to prevent a situation where we have no hospital capacity," Timberlake said. "That said, we are already at a place in some parts of our state where there are few to no ICU beds available in particular. And that's why we need everyone to continue to participate with us in doing what we can to prevent this situation from getting any worse."

As of Tuesday, just 2.7% of the state's ICU beds were available. Over the last seven days, Wisconsin hospitals have admitted 212 new COVID-19 patients — the majority of whom are unvaccinated, health officials said Wednesday.

More than 3,500 new COVID-19 infections were reported Wednesday and 33 new deaths. Evers and Timberlake said they are again urging vaccinations as cold weather hits the state, forcing more gatherings inside creating a larger risk of spreading the virus.

Fifty-six percent of Wisconsin residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, allowing the virus to continue to spread quickly. As more of a population gets vaccinated, fewer chances exist for a virus to spread and mutate.

"I get it — we've already returned to a relatively normal life already but that said, (if) we truly care about our neighbors and the fact that hospitals — and the Green Bay area is a good example — are reaching their limit and have no place to go or check people, it's time to do the right thing and that is to get vaccinated," Evers said.

Hospital stays grow longer

Timberlake said hospital officials are reporting longer hospital stays because of younger patients and that the Delta variant of COVID-19 is making people sicker than the original strain that was dominant in 2020.

She said there are more than 360 certified nursing assistants and other personnel providing care for patients in more than 65 hospitals and long-term care facilities under a contract with the state.

Timberlake said more than 270 additional facilities are also asking for staffing help. She said the state is using $19 million worth of American Rescue Plan Act funds to provide the staffing.

Evers said he encourages state lawmakers to promote vaccinations to avoid a new crisis due to a longstanding staffing shortage in health care and rising COVID-19 cases.

"They are leaders, people do listen to them," he said. "Whether they are Republicans or Democrats — having legislators get in the media to talk about the importance of vaccines we can't just let our hospitals go into crisis mode here."

In the fall of 2020, hospitals were stretched thin and in some cases overwhelmed as the state reached its peak in hospitalizations — 2,277 in November. There are signs of similar staffing issues this year with one hospital in Green Bay turning away 28 patients earlier this month.

Latest COVID-19 numbers

New cases reported: 3,519

New deaths reported: 33

Number hospitalized: 1,611 (intensive care: 418); up 205 patients from seven days ago

Seven-day average of daily cases: 3,155 (up 828 cases from one month ago)

Seven-day average of daily deaths: 20 (up 7 deaths from one month ago)

Seven-day average positivity rate — as a share of all tests given: 11.6%

Total cases since the start of pandemic: 901,727

Total deaths: 9,237

Katelyn Ferral of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Evers seeks 100 FEMA workers as COVID surges