Guardsman glad to support doctors and nurses at Union Hospital
DOVER — Daniel Riley says he found it rewarding working at Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital in Dover while he was deployed there last week with the Ohio National Guard.
"I'm just glad we're out here and provide the relief these people need. I'm an Ohioan too, so we're just Ohioans helping Ohioans right now," said Riley, a Marion resident who is a member of Company C, 237th Brigade Support Battalion out of Akron. He holds the rank of sergeant.
He performed a variety of duties at Union, including retrieving patients from the lobby, getting their vital signs and answering call lights.
Riley said the doctors and nurses at Union were great to work with.
"They're fantastic," he said. "They're wonderful at their jobs. They're glad for any help we can provide. They tell us that every day."
While he was at the hospital, patients were experiencing long waits for rooms.
"They're clearly frustrated with the situation. Most of them are trying to be as understanding as they can be, given the current crisis and long wait times," Riley said. "The majority of them are very understanding of the situation."
Riley has been a member of the Ohio National Guard for a year and a half and previously served four years on active duty at Fort Campbell, Ky. He has been an EMT for seven years.
Members of the National Guard have been working at Union for the past couple of weeks in support of COVID-19 operations across Ohio.
In total, nearly 2,400 Ohio National Guard and State Defense Force members have been deployed for hospital support, vaccinations at senior housing locations, prison support and support at the Ohio Department of Health’s Receipt, Store, and Stage warehouse.
In recent weeks, Riley has also worked at Akron General Hospital and a nursing home in the Cleveland area.
His deployment at Union Hospital is over, but several members of the Ohio National Guard arrived there Monday to support caregivers in a wide variety of roles and functions.
"I think that we're providing the necessary relief for the population, and I'm just glad we could be there to provide that," Riley said.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Guardsman glad to support doctors and nurses at Union Hospital
