CINCINNATI —

Hospitals jammed with the highest number of COVID-19 patients on record are beginning to get some relief as the Ohio National Guard arrives and reinforcements of a different kind step up to the task.

The National Guard sent 70 troops to UC Hospital to help out in several clinical and non-clinical roles. They add to the 20 already there to help with the testing efforts.

The troops are needed because of the high number of COVID-19 patients and the high number of staff out because of COVID-related issues.

There are also other efforts to reinforce hospital health care workers.

"Our teams are doing a great job, but our teams are tired. It’s been a tough couple of years," said vice president and chief nursing officer for the Good Samaritan region at TriHealth.

TriHealth has a program called Helping Hands that puts more nursing staff in the hospital.

"We've reached out to these other areas which could be our physician practices or anyone that's not working at the bedside that can come in and help," Macy said. "We can use these resources anywhere because it's going to help in all of our units."

So far, about 100 nurses have stepped up to help out.

St. Elizabeth has a similar program that recruits nurses from outside the hospital to help relieve the pressure of the staffing situation.

"If there are opportunities for folks who do not have front-line patient care jobs, if there are opportunities for them to volunteer and help, we're asking them to do that at this point," said St. Elizabeth COVID Dr. Jim Horn.

WASHINGTON —

The head of the Ohio National Guard said he does not know why two soldiers were flagged by the FBI and pulled from their inaugural duties in Washington, D.C.

On Tuesday night, the Ohio National Guard released the following statement:

"The 25,000 National Guard members supporting the presidential inauguration have been subject to vetting by the FBI and provided additional threat awareness training through the D.C. National Guard.

"We have been notified today that two Ohio National Guard Soldiers were flagged by the FBI. Out of an abundance of caution, the FBI removed them from the inaugural support mission.

"We do not have all the facts related to why the FBI flagged them, but it is our understanding at this time their removal was not due to criminal or threatening actions or activities."

On Wednesday morning, hours before the inauguration of President Joe Biden, Major General John Harris, Ohio National Guard's adjutant general, gave insight after two soldiers flagged by FBI general for the Ohio National Guard spoke to WLWT about the status and protocol of the two soldiers.

Maj. Gen. Harris said he still does not know what caused the Guard members to be flagged.

“We're waiting to get that information from the FBI and we'll determine what it is and we're conducting an investigation if necessary,” Maj. Gen. Harris said.

Currently Maj. Gen. Harris is overseeing more than 1,500 currently activated and deployed to Columbus and Washington D.C. He says the news of the two Guard members pulled from D.C. and sent home to Ohio is disconcerting but not shocking.

“It's not necessarily for extremism,” Maj. Gen. Harris said. “It could be for, you know, financial problems. It could be for any number of things. And so, it's while it may seem shocking that folks were sent home from the National Capital Region because of this FBI flag. It's something that's not quite shocking to us because it's a part of the routine screening that we do to ensure that we keep the National Capital Region as safe as possible. And generally, when someone's flagged it turns out they're not really a threat. But it's out of an abundance of caution that the FBI will take those measures.”

Maj. Gen. Harris says the two members flagged are still part of the Ohio National Guard. They are back in Ohio and are to report for duty and to await their next steps. He said each member deployed is screened internally but doesn’t know if more members of the ONG will be flagged.

“Before these folks left on the mission, they were all briefed on the requirements, not to be members of extremist organizations and every one of them signed a statement that they are not. Again, they were vetted by the FBI, but we're constantly vigilant,” Maj. Gen. Harris said.

WLWT asked Maj. Gen. Harris if considers the flagging “a miss” by the ONG.

“There are several moving parts to it so I won't say that it’s a miss,” Maj. Gen. Harris said. “Again I can't, I can't even tell you what it is.”

Maj. Gen. Harris said he wants to assure other members of the ONG and public that they can “trust the National Guard.”

“We work hard every day to ensure that we have that trust and if we find someone who can't live up to that value, it's our obligation and we weren't entirely as to ensure that they're not in our rank,” Maj. Gen. Harris said.

Maj. Gen. Harris said every member of the Guard will be rapid tested for COVID-19 upon returning to Ohio. That date has not yet been determined.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Activating members of the Ohio National Guard for duty protecting the Statehouse and to provide security in Washington during the inauguration of President Biden ran around $1.2 million, the guard said Friday.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine activated about 1,000 members of the Ohio guard for duty in and around the U.S. Capitol following its Jan. 6 breach by a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump. DeWine activated about 500 guard members for duty providing security at the Ohio Statehouse ahead of possible protests in the days afterward.

The estimated cost of the Ohio deployment, including pay, meals and accommodation, was $1,042,000, according to data provided by Guard spokeswoman Stephanie Beougher.

The cost of in-state travel for Guard members was $68,732, and federally funded travel costs to Guard members serving in and around Washington for the inauguration of President Joe Biden was $93,110, Beougher said.

In Ohio, concerns over potential protests at the Statehouse Jan. 17 faded as a small number of armed but peaceful demonstrators were considerably outnumbered by state troopers and National Guard members during an afternoon rally.

On Inauguration Day, a small crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters rallied peacefully at the Statehouse, also far outnumbered by security personnel.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is still calculating its security costs.