Missouri is waging a campaign to boost its current health care workforce as it faces a personnel shortage amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The state’s Department of Health and Senior Services, Emergency Management Agency, and Department of Economic Development are teaming up to recruit medical professionals who are not already working for the state to join a “specialized” team fighting health emergencies.

“Medical professionals and first responders across the state are working tirelessly to meet the rising needs and challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis,” said Gov. Mike Parson (R). “We are calling on all available medical professionals to support the effort to fight the virus by joining a critical reserve unit now focusing on providing care in high need areas across the state. Their efforts can help save the lives of their fellow Missourians.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The state said it needs professionals with backgrounds in medicine, nursing, allied health, dentistry, biomedicine and more. Missouri will consider people “even if they are a health care student or graduate, are a retiree of the health care workforce, or have a recently expired professional registration.”

Selected applicants would join the Missouri Disaster Medical Assistance Team, which would deploy “when necessary to provide patients with on-site medical care” or could “also be assigned to assist in traditional health care settings.”

The call for candidates comes as Missouri grapples with a burgeoning coronavirus outbreak. The state has 2,113 confirmed cases and 19 deaths thus far.