Military doctors, nurses arrive in New York City to help with omicron COVID surge
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Federal help in the form of military doctors and nurses arrived at New York City Health + Hospitals Coney Island Monday to help with staffing shortages.
Help also arrived at University Hospital in Newark over the weekend.
It's all part of the Biden administration's effort to address the surge in hospitalizations due to omicron.
Similar resources will be arriving at North Central Bronx Hospital on Friday.
President Joe Biden announced plans earlier this month to send military medical teams to the New York and New Jersey area to help with the omicron surge.
The president said he told the Defense Department to prepare 1,000 military doctors and nurses for assignments at hospitals around the country.
White House officials say 3,000 military medical workers have been deployed across the country since July 1.
New York and New Jersey are two of six states receiving additional military medical aid.
Hospitals in Rhode Island, Ohio Michigan, and New Mexico will also receive help.
Also beginning Monday are the additional resources announced by Governor Kathy Hochul.
Thirty National Ambulance teams are moving to support upstate counties in need of help transporting patients.
A new Disaster Medical Assistance and Military Medicine team of 19 medical professionals will replace the existing DMAT at SUNY Upstate on January 26.
"I want to thank President Biden for honoring our request, and deploying much-needed medical teams to New York State to help us fight the winter surge," said Hochul last week. "These critical resources will build on our ongoing winter surge plan efforts to assist our overstressed hospitals so they can maintain patient care, and relieve some of our exhausted medical staff and emergency responders."
Hochul reiterated the need for additional medical staff in upstate regions like the Finger Lakes where COVID cases have increased.
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