GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) — National Guard troops like Ian Mlsna were once trained to handle weapons.
Then, they were taught how to distribute Covid vaccines.
"Maybe this isn't my field that I was necessarily gonna be performing in, but I'm willing to take the challenge," Mlsna said.
And today, the infantryman and his unit are tasked with a new mission in healthcare.
"Wherever help is needed or whatever field you have to perform in, you kind of just gotta get it done and that's kind of what our leadership trains us to be able to do," Mlsna said.
After over two weeks of training, a group of ten Wisconsin Guard members are now working as full-time CNAs — or certified nursing assistants — at Green Bay's Odd Fellow Home.
"Before I was kind of relatively nervous as to how much training we were gonna get," Mlsna said. "I think we got just the right amount."
As of Wednesday, Mlsna, a 25-year-old Neenah resident, is on his own. He's helping Odd Fellow's senior residents and those recovering from medical issues.
"I think everyone kind of really got into the work really well and kind of understood like 'okay, gotta be a little bit more relaxed here,'" Mlsna said. "It's not about how much I can bench or lift. It's about being fragile and making sure the residents are comfortable."
It's part of an effort with Bellin Health and HSHS to bring in troops, transfer patients and free up hospital beds.
But without enough staff, the facility needed the Guard.
"They've lifted morale in the building because they're playful, but they're taking it very seriously," Odd Fellow CEO Charlene Everett said. 'I'm really proud, really proud to be part of what they're doing."
The Guard members are set to serve in Green Bay until mid-March.
"It's crazy to see when we come in the room and all of a sudden they just light up," Mlsna said. "It's kind of a shift."
Before this deployment, Mlsna worked in hospital security. But he says he might have found his new calling.
"It was something I wasn’t going to explore at first," he said. "And now I’m kind of getting into it, looking into the healthcare field and maybe it might be a career path for me in the future."
