January 13, 2021 4:10 a.m.

With the surge of COVID-19 cases, Oregon Governor Kate Brown has ordered an increase of National Guard members for the second hospital relief mission, with up to 1,200 members mobilized on Wednesday.

A release from the Oregon Military Department said the new activation will send members to 40 hospitals across the state. National Guard members will provide support for understaffed hospitals during this deployment, which will begin no later than Tuesday.

Soldiers and Airmen will serve in non-clinical support roles as materials handlers, equipment runners, additional COVID-19 testing support, laundry, custodial services to ensure hospital operations and other services in support of healthcare systems. The mission’s planning is ongoing, with guard members placed on orders and assigned to hospitals.

The release said the activation follows a prior deployment of over 1,500 Oregon National Guardsmen that provided the same non-clinical support roles in Oregon hospitals that began in August of 2021, and ended in December.