50 members of the Ohio National Guard support the network in mid-January
In January of 2022, the country was in the middle of an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. During that time, members of the Ohio National Guard began working at The Christ Hospital in Mt. Auburn to support our team members during the COVID-19 surged caused by the Omicron variant. The Guard helped decrease the burden in many clincical and non-clinical settings including food & nutrition, envorinmental services and other departments. Many in the Guard underwent training before the pandemic under Operation Cincinnati S.M.A.R.T (Strategic Medical Assets Readiness Training). In this training program, thousands of training hours were provided to hundreds of our nation’s military members in hospitals across the region including at The Christ Hospital Health Network. The program integrates interactive observation training specific to the jobs soldiers perform in their military capacity. Brad Wenstrup, Colonel in the United States Army Reserve, a practicing physician and a member of Congress, helped to coordinate that program long before the pandemic began. Colonel Wenstrup also toured the facility while the Guard was deployed. This training was essential in allowing the servicemen and women to hit the ground running in supporting our team members. In February, the Guard completed its mission and left the hospital in a better place. We are grateful and thankful to these guardsmen for their service to our state, team members and patients. When our community needed them the most, they answered the call and served honorably.