COLUMBUS, Ohio — Belmont Correctional Institution near St. Clairsville is receiving aid from Ohio National Guard medical personnel.
A nine-member team is being deployed to assist the prison amid a staffing shortage due to COVID-19. The team will be responsible for taking temperatures, vitals and other support that falls within their medical training.
Ohio National Guard Airmen and Soldiers had previously been deployed and continue to provide medical assistance at the Pickaway Correctional Institution in Orient, temporary housing at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, and additional guard staffing at Franklin Medical Center in Columbus.
Additional support at the Marion Correctional Institution was completed, as the regular prison staff have returned to their jobs and the number of new cases of COVID-19 have decreased among the prison population.
"The variety of our mission support demonstrates the commitment of each Guard member to all citizens of our great state," Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., Ohio Adjutant general said in a press release. "They have applied the skills and expertise gained as Citizen-Soldiers and - Airmen to help in their own communities."
The Ohio National Guard and Ohio Military Reserve have deployed over 900 members to serve their communities during the state's response to the pandemic, including humanitarian efforts at local food banks and regional warehouses and developing alternate care sites.
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