Health officials say the force includes recent retirees, health care workers who can take a break from their normal jobs and people between jobs.

Many of these volunteers have yet to be assigned to work in New York’s hospitals, and state officials must vet the volunteers and decide how to deploy them.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said this week he wants that situation to change. Hospitals expect to employ about 1,500 volunteers to assist a medical workforce that needs help, especially in the New York City area.

Health care workers from across the United States have started working in New York. Many found their new jobs through employment agencies. These workers discovered a hospital system in danger of being overwhelmed. There are simply too many patients.

Liz Schaffer is a nurse from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Tuesday was her first day working in the emergency room (ER) at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

“I have never seen so many human beings in an ER at one time in my entire life,” she said.

Other states also are busy looking for and recruiting medical workers. At least 10 other states and the District of Columbia are preparing for waves of patients. The Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs also are in need of medical workers.