submitted by Becky Bartlett
Administrator Jennifer Stewart-King and Director of Nursing Dawn Tuersfeldman have requested the National Guard to extend its deployment at Gracedale Nursing Home until May 10. The National Guard came to Gracedale on April 27 planning to only provide 72 hours of assistance.
“We’ve had over 1,000 call-outs among our staff just in the month of April,” says Jennifer Stewart-King. “That is making things extremely difficult for the heroes of Gracedale who are caring for the residents. We’re very grateful to the National Guard for staying on to help care for our residents.”
The National Guard, which arrived at Gracedale on April 27, will extend their posting until May 10. Thirty-four members of the National Guard are primarily assisting with non-COVID-19 residents, allowing Gracedale employees to focus on residents who are positive for COVID-19 or have pending test results. Guard assistance includes 20 medics to work as CNAs and eight licensed nurses.
