PORTLAND, Ore. — More than 1,200 Oregon National Guard members will be deployed to hospitals across the state by Tuesday as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge.
Of those members, 500 were deployed last week to help hospitals care for patients. Governor Kate Brown recently announced that she would deploy an additional 700 national guard members.
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“There's a lot of need. Those hospitals are having a lot of trouble getting certain positions filled and we're honored to help out where we can,” said Joint Task Force Commander Seth Rogers.
Many of the hospitals getting help are in the tri-county area, including OHSU, Legacy, Providence and Adventist locations.
Governor Jay Inslee also announced that he would deploy the National Guard to help Washington's overwhelmed hospitals.