DoD Deploys Hundreds of Medical Personnel to Aid Southern California Hospitals

According to a report from CBSLA, medical teams dispatched by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) are heading to Southern California hospitals to help deal with the massive influx of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Military doctors, nurses, and other medical staff are expected to arrive at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center and Harbor UCLA Medical Center on Thursday; both centers have been operating its ICU at 150-percent capacity. Hospitals across Southern California have been overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases. Although some area medical centers have created more space for patients by constructing field hospitals or expanding care into its lobbies and gift shops, qualified doctors and nurses are in much needed. The request for the U.S. Navy’s USNS Mercy Hospital ship was denied; the state’s “Plan B” is now to send in military medical teams. The floating hospital ship is now receiving mandatory maintenance; in dry dock in Portland, Oregon; and is not available for deployment. On Tuesday, California officials requested 360 DoD medical staff, 135 Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance Team personnel and 50 more Federal Emergency Management Agency staff, bringing the current federal augmentation request to more than 500 staff. Tuesday’s request would supplement the 1,420 medical surge personnel already deployed to health care facilities across the state. California also requested and deployed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Coronavirus News Source Type: news