The Broomall Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Marple Township has asked the National Guard to help them provide routine care to non-acute patients as it deals with staff shortages triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, reports philadelphia.cbslocal.com.

A team of 18 nurses and medics from the National Guard will work 12-hour shifts at the facility for three days as part of an arrangement with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

After discussions with leaders of the Marple Township nursing center, Delaware County officials requested support from the National Guard on Saturday.

“It’s something that we train for all the time, we’re ready, we have the equipment and the experience and I’m pretty sure that is why we were tasked to do this mission,” Major Thomas Wagner said in a statement.

Delaware County Council Chairman Brian Zidek said calling in the National Guard for temporary staffing is another way to provide support to long-term care facilities that may be struggling.

“We understand the challenges that many long-term care facilities such as the Broomall Rehabilitation and Nursing Center are facing right now and together with the support from the Chester County Health Department, we are doing everything we can to support the staff, patients and their loved ones,”  Zidek said.

Long-term care facilities have had a particularly difficult time with the COVID-19 virus as it spreads to more vulnerable seniors who can suffer severe complications.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 397 residents and 41 employees of 37 long-term care facilities in Delaware County to date have tested positive for COVID-19, leading to 54 deaths.

See the CBS News report here.