Baptist Health Corbin to receive support from Kentucky National Guard

Baptist Health Corbin is one of 21 hospitals in Kentucky that will receive support from the Kentucky National Guard.

On Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 310 additional Kentucky National Guard members will assist with nonclinical functions within hospitals to allow hospital staff to focus on patient care.

“This shows that every hospital is bursting at the seams, that they desperately need help and that we are a state full of more desperately sick people than we have ever seen,” said Beshear. “I believe this is the largest deployment of the Guard in this crisis health care situation in our history. Every time we’ve asked, they’ve stepped up and served us so proudly.”

“In coordination with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, we’ve now mobilized more than 400 soldiers and airmen to help provide logistical and administrative support to 25 hospitals across the commonwealth,” said Brig. Gen. Bryan Howay, director of the joint staff, Kentucky National Guard. “Supporting this critical mission impacts our service members as well since we’re part of the same communities we’re assisting. While our mission is temporary, it serves to highlight the importance of wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and most importantly, getting vaccinated.”

On Thursday, Beshear reported that 60 of Kentucky’s 96 hospitals currently have critical staffing shortages.

In addition to staffing shortages, Beshear announced there are only 90 adult intensive care beds available in the commonwealth, which is the lowest number reported during the pandemic.

“Folks, our hospital situation has never been more dire in my lifetime than it is right now,” said Beshear.

As of Thursday, 2,587,406 Kentuckians have received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, meaning 70 percent of Kentucky adults are vaccinated.

On Sept. 8, Kentucky’s positivity rate was 14.16 percent.

Other facilities to receive support from the Kentucky National Guard include: T.J. Samson Community Hospital, Glasgow; Taylor Regional Hospital, Campbellsville; Ohio County Hospital, Hartford; Manchester Hospital, Manchester; CHI Saint Joseph Health, London; Baptist Health Hospital, Elizabethtown; Baptist Health Hospital, Lexington; Baptist Health Hospital, Louisville; Baptist Health Hospital, Paducah; Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center, Prestonsburg; Tugvalley ARH Regional Medical Center, South Williamson; Middlesboro ARH Hospital; Harlan ARH Hospital; Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital, Paducah; UofL Hospital, Louisville; TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital, Bowling Green; Rockcastle Regional Hospital, Mount Vernon; Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, Somerset; Kentucky River Medical Center, Jackson; and St. Elizabeth Covington Hospital.

More than 100 Guard members are already assisting at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead, Appalachian Regional Healthcare in Hazard, The Medical Center at Bowling Green and Pikeville Medical Center.