Member
news&Notes Citizen airmen and soldiers from the Delaware National Guard provide support to local hospitals during the COVID surge, January 2022.
Working Together to Combat a Crisis in the First State DNG MEMBERS RECEIVE CNA TRAINING IN WAKE OF PANDEMIC SURGE CONTRIBUTED BY DELAWARE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE When the latest COVID-19 surge overwhelmed the state’s health care system, forcing several hospitals to implement Crisis Standards of Care, Governor John Carney, the Delaware Healthcare Association, the Delaware National Guard, and Delaware Technical Community College quickly teamed up to help. Eighty-four members of the Delaware National Guard (DNG) completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) training at
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Delaware Tech to assist with staffing needs for health care providers statewide. The training is usually provided over a period of six to 10 weeks, but the College compressed it into an accelerated two-week program given the urgent situation at hand. The plan to train the DNG was sparked by Wayne A. Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Delaware Healthcare Association, who knew Minnesota had implemented a rapid
Certified Nurse Training Program for their National Guard members to augment workforce in long-term care facilities. He thought a similar effort in Delaware would help support patient transfers from his stressed hospital members. “The Governor quickly embraced the idea, and I approached Delaware Tech to discuss whether or not this could happen,” Smith stated. “Del Tech’s design and implementation occurred with impressive speed. This has helped save lives.”
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| DELAWARE BUSINESS
