By Vanessa Johnston
MADISON, Wisc. (Reuters) – When Joenes Gellada joined the National Guard, he never imagined that would mean one day training as a nursing assistant.  Â
    “Never in my wildest dreams,” he said as he completed his two-week training course at Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin on Friday.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an existing shortage of healthcare workers with about one in five quitting since February 2020, according to a Morning Consult poll published in October. Â
    “Our healthcare workers are in desperate need of our help. They’re beyond exhausted,” said Dr. Lisa Marie Greenwood, the associate dean of nursing at Madison College.  Â
    Last month, state officials asked the college to train National Guard troops to help alleviate the strain at hospitals and nursing homes around Wisconsin.  Â
    In early February, 70 soldiers-turned-certified nursing assistants were deployed to their postings. The next wave of 80 trainees will start work this week.   Â
    One of those facilities to receive aid was Wisconsin Dells Health Services, a long-term care facility for patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s.   Â
    Before 10 National Guard soldiers arrived in January, Heather Steubinger, the director of nursing, felt she could not take the stress much longer.   Â
    “I absolutely love my job – never, ever could’ve imagined doing anything different with my life – until the pandemic hit,” she said. “I questioned so many times, like, ‘can I do this? Do I want to do this?'”  Â
    Her colleagues were quitting in droves, and hospitals were eager to shift patients to the long-term care facility to free up beds.  Â
    But the soldiers offered a lifeline.
    But it’s only a temporary fix. The soldiers are only signed on until mid-March, though the healthcare workers hope they will be granted an extension.
   “I feel like we’re all able to breathe a little bit better,” Steubinger said. “It’s been a blessing.” Â
(Reporting by Vanessa Johnston; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)