Pennsylvania will deploy the National Guard and other labor support corps to four regional sites across the Commonwealth to help ease pressure on hospitals and nursing homes that are experiencing shortages and large numbers of COVID-19 patients.

In the next seven to 10 days, regional sites will open at Vincentian Home in Pittsburgh; Lutheran House in Holidaysburg, Blair County; Springs at Watermark in Philadelphia; and Clarview Nursing Home and Rehabilitation in Sligo, Clarion County.

Each of the sites will have up to 30 beds available for patients requiring professional nursing care, which will help open an intensive care area in hospitals that continue to see high levels of COVID-19 patients.

“Despite recent declines in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, there are more than 5500 people hospitalized here in Pennsylvania lately,” said Acting Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter. health personnel already exhausted during the last two years of the pandemic. “

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Klinepeter said at a news convention in Harrisburg that the state chose sites based on hospitalization rates, facility protection records and available space.

“This is a component of a multi-effort that we’re doing in our hospitals,” Klinepeter said. “We’re going to see how it goes and continue to refine that process. “

Monday’s announcement comes as the number of further falls from all-time highs reported earlier this month. On Sunday, the state reported 4,066 new Arrays, bringing the overall coronavirus since March 2020 to 2,661,481 people.

In addition to deploying about 60 National Guard members for non-clinical functions, the Department of Health has hired corporate GHR recruiting for clinical nurses at the sites.

The aid is separate from the state-led strike groups deployed at Grand View Health in Sellersville last week, and crozer Health in Delaware County on Friday, to help directly alleviate shortages at those centers.

The federal strike has also been deployed to hospitals in Scranton Regional and WellSpan York.

Crissa Shoemaker DeBree is a regional corporate and investigative writer, as well as an award-winning business and investigative journalist. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Teen Takes youth writing panel.