Tanner Welcomes National Guard Deployment
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
As the omicron variant of COVID-19 strains hospitals throughout the country, Tanner Health System was appreciative to welcome 10 members of the Georgia National Guard to assist with operations at its hospitals in Carrollton and Villa Rica.
The guard members will assist with environmental services and food and nutrition services support through at least the end of March at the health system’s Carrollton and Villa Rica hospitals. The deployment at Tanner is based out of LaGrange.
The National Guard at Tanner are under the command of Staff Sgt. Cristian Rendon. They attended orientation at Tanner on Jan. 13.
“We’re grateful to welcome these ‘citizen soldiers’ and for their willingness to step forward in this unique fight,” said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner. “Our hospitals have continued to deliver exceptional care during the pandemic, but these waves of patients have challenged our resources. Their service is a welcome source of support to ensure we’re able to keep caring for all those who need us.”
COVID-19 has deeply impacted hospital operations across the nation and in Georgia, with both clinical and nonclinical staff shortages challenging hospitals to continue patient care.
On Dec. 29, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced the deployment of some 200 Georgia National Guard members to support the state’s hospitals and Georgia Department of Public Health COVID-19 testing sites.