By Tim Mastro

They transported meals and stocked medical supplies, while some even became fully credentialed certified nursing assistants in just two weeks.

Sharing how National Guard members aided Delaware’s overcapacity hospitals during January’s COVID-19 surge, Adjutant General Michael Berry beamed with pride during his annual State of the Guard address Friday.

While the Guard’s hospital missions are winding down now, he said, 86 members were able to become CNAs to work in seven long-term care centers — Cadia Healthcare’s Wilmington, Dover and Millsboro locations; Complete Care’s Wilmington and Dover facilities; Harbor Healthcare & Rehabilitation in Lewes; and Millcroft Retirement Community in Newark. This allowed hospitals to move patients into these facilities under the care of the Guard CNAs, freeing up more space for COVID-19 patients.

The Guard members provide residents care and hygiene support, as well as observe them for safety.

“They truly had an impact and have done amazing work,” Maj. Gen. Berry said.

The CNA training program typically takes three months, but he said the 86 members completed their instruction in two weeks at Delaware Technical Community College, and all met the full credentials.

An additional 194 Guard members supported eight hospitals in the state’s orderly mission. They provided nonclinical support, such as meal prep and delivery, patient transport and administrative work, at Bayhealth’s Kent County and Sussex County campuses, ChristianaCare’s Wilmington and Newark locations, Beebe Healthcare, TidalHealth Nanticoke, St. Francis Hospital and Nemours Children’s Health.

“A tremendous opportunity for our men and women to step up and work in a field that they traditionally wouldn’t work in,” Maj. Gen. Berry said.

The Guard members have been exiting these roles over the last week, as COVID-19 statistics continue their dramatic decrease since mid-January.

Delaware is down to 90 coronavirus hospitalizations, according to the Delaware Division of Public Health’s report Monday. Hospitalizations peaked Jan. 12 at 759.

Gov. John Carney thanked the Guard for its pandemic response, noting how busy a year it was for members, who also aided in the response to Hurricane Ida, were deployed during a recent snowstorm, were tasked with security for President Joe Biden and were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I have been so proud of the work of our Guardsmen and -women over the past year,” the governor said. “Whatever you ask, they do. No job is too tough.”

The Guard’s longest pandemic-related deployment has been supporting the state’s COVID-19 vaccine, testing and contact-tracing programs, which it has been doing since March 2020.

“We are prepared for the long deployments,” Maj. Gen. Berry said. “We’re very good at the short stuff, like storm response, which is a couple days. But we prepare every day for the long deployments, and that has certainly come into play during the pandemic. ... We’re all over the state. We’re at the warehouse, we’re moving the vaccine, we’re moving the tests themselves, and of course, data entry.”