Federal health officials announced Monday that a team of 15 medical providers and support staff from the National Disaster Medical System will temporarily help Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista battle a COVID-19 surge.
Personnel includes physicians, advanced health care professionals, nurses, a respiratory therapist and a paramedic who will serve for up to 14 days per deployment.
Arizona authorities requested federal help to respond to a rise of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Sierra Vista area and to provide temporary relief to medical personnel.
Health and Human Services officials said the medical teams are a lifeline to hospitals, providing temporary relief to staff, adding bed capacity, decreasing wait times, and improving outcomes for COVID-19 patients.
Since the start of the pandemic, federal health officials have conducted nearly 1,750 support missions and deployed more than 10,000 medical, logistical, and command and control personnel to help 36 states, territories, and jurisdictions deal with the virus.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
