BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO) – North Dakota will receive approximately 60 U.S. Air Force medical personnel to assist in the state’s COVID-19 response after the Federal Emergency Management Agency granted the state’s request for federal assistance, Gov. Doug Burgum announced Thurs.
The personnel, part of a Department of Defense COVID-19 response operation, are primarily nurses, including critical care nurses. They will split up into multiple specialty teams to support at least six hospitals in four cities: Trinity Hospital in Minot, CHI St. Alexius Health in Bismarck, Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck, Essentia Health in Fargo, Sanford Medical Center in Fargo and Altru Health System in Grand Forks.
The teams will deploy Saturday and are expected to start work at the hospitals next week in coordination with the North Dakota Department of Health. The Air Force nurses will join the 167 nurses who are part of the NDDoH COVID Response Team.
The medical personnel come from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland and JBSA-Randolph, Texas; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi; Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; and elsewhere.
The dept. of health has also contracted with a temporary staffing agency to provide an additional 60 nursing staff for hospitals and nursing homes. The nurses will begin arriving as early as this weekend.
The response is funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
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