Maine Governor Activates National Guard to Help at Hospitals

People are seen outside a vaccination clinic at Biddeford High School in Biddeford, Maine, in a file photograph. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Dec. 8 activated the state’s National Guard to assist at hospitals after her COVID-19 vaccine mandate caused hundreds of nurses and other health care employees to leave their jobs or be fired.

Mills, a Democrat, said the move was to “help alleviate short-term capacity constraints at hospitals and maintain access to inpatient health care services for Maine people amid a sustained surge of COVID-19.”