A team of federal doctors and nurses are arriving at Eisenhower Health hospital Thursday to support the facility as the hospital copes with the influx of coronavirus patients.

The team of doctors, physician assistants, critical care nurses and respiratory technicians assigned to Eisenhower is part of a state of California request for federal support to medical facilities throughout California.

On Tuesday, July 14,T te California Department of Public Health today announced California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – is trending upward in the 14-day average. Hospitalization rates are also trending upward in the 14-day average.

The 7-day average number of new cases is 8,382 per day. The 7-day average from the week prior was 7,837. California has 336,508 confirmed cases to date.

Health officials have linked the surge to an increase in transmission of the coronavirus that began in late May, as some counties began reopening businesses, thousands gathered in large protests and some people, tired of staying home, met up with family and friends, especially over the long Memorial Day weekend.

The spike in hospitalizations has prompted a rollback of re-openings, but the benefits have yet to be seen in the case numbers.

“We are grateful to receive this support from FEMA and the federal medical team, and I appreciate the emergency operations center team for pursuing this effort at the request of Eisenhower Health,” Riverside County Board Chair and Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said in a prepared statement. “These are crucial resources as we all work together at the federal, state and local levels of government to overcome this pandemic.”

The federal team is made up of active military medical personnel.

“The federal support will provide much-needed assistance to Eisenhower at a time when the entire medical system deals with the rise in coronavirus cases,” said Bruce Barton, director of the County of Riverside Emergency Management Department. “That assistance will make a difference for those who are being impacted by this virus that has taken so many lives.”

Federal medical teams are also assisting other California counties.

“The hospital is nearing capacity in our ICU and on our Covid-19 units,” Dr. Alan Williamson, Chief Medical Officer at Eisenhower Health, said in a prepared statement. “Currently, we only have three more ‘staffed’ beds available in the ICU. Additionally, we are approaching 80 percent of bed capacity within the hospital, but are at virtually 100 percent of our staffing capacity. We are grateful for the support from FEMA and its Air Force Medical response team. It comes at a critical time.”

Image Sources

  • Covid-19 patient: Shutterstock