FEMA 'strike teams' coming to Pennsylvania hospitals to help with COVID-19 surge
PENNSYLVANIA - As COVID cases continue to rise so does the pressure on local hospitals being pushed to capacity. On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced "strike teams" of medical professionals will be on their way to community hospitals across the state to help alleviate staffing and capacity issues.
"I’ve been have spent the last 2 years dealing with COVID and I have never seen it this crazy in terms of getting testing and being positive and dealt with COVID-19," said Dr. Mike Cirigliano of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Hospitals are trying to compensate. The former emergency room at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital as it recently opened up a new medical pavilion.
And some area hospitals like CHOP are nearing 100% capacity with both patient and intensive care unit beds. Einstein hospital was at one point over capacity recently in the ICU.
FEMA hasn’t announced details but similar strike teams of doctors, nurses and lab techs were sent to places like Chestnut Hill Hospital early on in the pandemic.
The acting Health Secretary said in a statement Acting Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter said, "At this time, we do know that strike teams will be sent to the Commonwealth and are working with our federal partners to identify and confirm exact locations and any additional resources".
Doctors say most of the hospitalized patients coming into the hospital for COVID had a similar thing in common.
"Now it’s a whole different ball game if you are not vaccinated. Those are the people that are ending up in the hospital, on ventilators and unfortunately succumbing to COVID-19," said Dr. Cirigliano.
FEMA is expected to announce plans including specific sites where teams will be deployed sometime this week.
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