FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – After nearly a month and a half without a paycheck, a Blanchfield Army Community Hospital worker desperate for help with groceries said she left a food drive on Fort Campbell with just three bottles of water, two MREs and two cans of boiled peanuts.

She’s one of many civilian-contracted healthcare workers for the military caught in the crosshairs of the federal government shutdown, continuing to provide medical care to soldiers and their families without being paid. And while resources for relief have been advertised across the installation and on social media, many of these civilian workers are discovering that those resources are for active-duty families only.

“And now we’re going into the holidays,” the healthcare worker said through tears. “What a gift for us, that this (government shutdown) may last through Thanksgiving, maybe even Christmas.”

2 missed paychecks but continuing to provide care

Fort Campbell employs about 30,000 active-duty soldiers, but often overlooked are Fort Campbell’s 8,500 civilian employees, most of whom live in Clarksville, and all of whom are subject to going unpaid during the government shutdown.

Since BACH provides essential services, many employees are required to keep working, despite going unpaid. Four BACH workers spoke to Clarksville Now/Christian County Now this week on the condition of anonymity. Christian County Now will refer to them by made-up names to protect their identity: Jane, Sally, Emily and Linda.

Sally said the last time she was paid was at the beginning of October. “At this point, we’ve missed two full paychecks, and it’s definitely been difficult with myself, my husband and my child, being the main source of income for my family at this time.

“Having to sit down and actually calculate how long our savings is going to last us?” Sally said. “It will only sustain us for so long, and just anticipating every time they (Congress) go to vote and hoping for a bill to be passed. … It definitely puts a lot of mental and emotional stress on us as a family.”

| DOWNLOAD THE APP: Sign up for our free Christian County Now app

‘Praised as heroes’ during COVID, forgotten now

Emily, a newlywed healthcare worker, said the financial impact is adding pressure to her new marriage.

“It’s really affecting me mentally,” Emily said. “When you become a nurse … I think a lot of times, the public thinks that compassion and caring should be your only drive. And while that is something that does drive me, being paid drives everybody.

“The passion is kind of dwindling right now, and it has nothing to do with the patients,” Emily said. “They have nothing to do with this. It’s just my mind is focused on ‘How am I and my husband going to navigate this as a young, newlywed couple?'”

Emily said this isn’t a reflection on BACH, but rather the government. Right now, she feels like federal employees, especially healthcare workers, are being put in the background.

“I kind of feel dismissed,” Emily said. “Like, they’re talking about air traffic controllers. But we’re taking care of people’s lives right now, and it’s like, we were praised as heroes when COVID came out, and now they’ve forgotten all about us.”

Linda, who has dedicated many years of her life to the healthcare field, said she’s worried about whether she will lose her house, not knowing when she’ll see her next paycheck and if she needs to take on a second job.

“It’s just very disheartening right now,” Linda said. “Even small things like getting groceries is no longer a given. It’s just the unknown of all of it and when the shutdown will be over.”

Federal civilian families turned away at food drives

BACH has been sending out resources for their workers to pursue if they need assistance during the shutdown, and some resources have been advertised on social media. But pursuing these resources has left the women outraged and ashamed.

Linda drove to Fort Campbell on her day off to attend one of these resource fairs, only to be turned away because she’s a civilian federal employee, not active-duty or a dependent of a soldier. According to a Military Times article, the White House was able to pull together money to pay troops on Oct. 15 and Nov. 1 from excess funds at the Pentagon, but that doesn’t apply to civilian employees of military installations.

“Who goes to work for the government expecting that this is going to happen and you’re not going to get paid?” Jane said. “I can’t tell you how many different companies or even for utilities I’ve called and they’re like, ‘Well, you do need to pay, or your insurance (car, homeowners) isn’t going to last. You need to pay or we’re going to disconnect.'”

| MORE: Latest news on the government shutdown from The Associated Press

Jane’s car was repossessed after two missed payments because of the shutdown, and she had to rely on the help of her family to get it back. Jane’s own healthcare has suffered: She’s had to refrain from going to the doctor to see about complications from a recent surgery because she can’t afford the co-pay.

“Thank you, government, for this wonderful gift,” Jane said through tears. “Thank you, government, for me not being able to go to my family’s house because traveling two, three hours is too much gas when I need to focus on gas to get to and from work. Thank you, government, for my spouse having to have surgery, and having to borrow money just to simply pay for it.”

BACH responds, future pay still uncertain

Christian County Now reached out to BACH and received the following response from Col. Jim McWherter, BACH commander:

“Our civilian workforce is an essential part of Team BACH, and their unwavering commitment ensures that patient care remains uninterrupted. We are incredibly proud of their immense dedication and continued service to the Fort Campbell community. Regardless of circumstances, the BACH team remains steadfast in its mission: providing healthcare excellence and supporting the readiness of our warfighters, their families and our community.”

For active-duty servicemembers, the next paychecks are supposed to be issued Nov. 15. It is uncertain if servicemembers will be paid on Nov. 15 if the shutdown hasn’t ended.

| STAY UPDATED ON LOCAL NEWS: Sign up for the midday Christian County Now newsletter.