Montana secures nursing teams to support rural hospitals

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 10/29/20

Rural Montana hospitals are struggling to stay staffed as nurses themselves test positive for COVID-19 and are forced to quarantine. To help alleviate the strain the pandemic is placing on these critical-access hospitals, Gov. Steve Bullock said yesterday that he has secured five teams of nurses, with five nurses per team, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This support will provide aid to those hospitals feeling strain due to rising cases, but also eliminate the need to transfer patients to other facilities—instead they can receive the care they need close to home. The nurses will arrive in Montana early next week and are expected to assist on the Hi-Line and in eastern Montana.