Deputizing nurses: Temporary health partners asked to join the fight

People who wish to help the most vulnerable in their community during the coronavirus pandemic can do so as temporary health partners, a special position created to relieve strained nurses in long-term care facilities.

The measure isn’t new, as an emergency order signed by Gov. Sununu in March relaxed state regulations covering  who could work in care facilities. But, said John Beland, emergency preparedness coordinator with the Partnership for Public Health, the need for such extra help might be just around the corner. He’s hoping to build a bench of backups who can step in if the first-string players need to exit the playing field.

Temporary health partners, authorized by Sununu’s Emergency Order number 42, must complete at least eight hours of training and will work under the supervision of a nurse. The authorization will last until the State of Emergency is ended, or until the emergency order is rescinded.

“What I’m trying to do is fill a need before the need is there,” Beland said. However, he noted that the need is already at the doorstep, especially as more local schools are responding to spiking infection rates. If a school near a long-term care facility switches to remote learning, it often means that several nurses can’t come to work.

Beland said he meets weekly with the heads of such facilities, and said it’s only a matter of when, not if, staffing shortages become critical.

“All it takes is a school closing and we’re down like four, five LNAs because they need to be home for the kids. You throw in a positive COVID test and contact tracing, and it’s a crisis for staffing,” Beland said.

Prospective temporary health partners would take an online training program that takes eight hours, followed by a test, then on-site competency testing. Participants will also undergo a criminal background check as part of the progam. The temporary workers could either be taken on as employees by the facility, or if they’re volunteers they may be able to gain liability coverage through the state as emergency workers.

The temporary health partner training will cover infection prevention, personal care, safety and emergency care, documentation, positioning and restorative care, nutrition and toileting, specialty care environments such as oxygen therapy, and end of life care.

Anyone interested should go to www.nhresponds.org, create an account and register with the Lakes Region COVID Team. The Partnership for Public Health will then contact registrants.

Beland said that he would also like clinicians such as RN’s, LNA’s, to register, as well as any other interested civilians who support clinics sites with logistical work.

“What I’m trying to do is create a resource pool of trained citizens that could be used to alleviate some staffing issues should that situation arise,” Beland said.