CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State health officials are exploring how to create coronavirus-response “strike teams” to provide telemedicine and training visits to individuals with the virus as well as give health care workers currently working during the pandemic with relief.
State coronavirus czar Dr. Clay Marsh spoke about the proposal during Wednesday’s coronavirus briefing, noting cooperation between Marshall Health, WVU Medicine and Charleston Area Medical Center about forming units.
“We’re also trying to buddy up acute care facilities to part of our long-term care groups so that we can more easily exchange people between the acute health systems and the nursing homes or the skilled-nursing facilities as we might have some surging,” he said.
Bill Crouch, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources, noted there have been attempts to hire furloughed hospital workers and members of the West Virginia National Guard.
“It’s very difficult to find individuals and train those individuals and get them into those environments,” he said.
Crouch noted state officials are helping providers in forming these units.