Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

1 day ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

1 day ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

1 day ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

2 days ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

2 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

2 days ago
Military Teams Arriving at Valley Hospitals This Week to Combat COVID-19
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 5 years ago on
July 16, 2020

Share

Department of Defense teams are deploying to hospitals in Fresno, Visalia, and Hanford this week to help fight a surge of COVID-19 cases.

The 20-person teams are on month-long missions to help hospitals maximize their available bed space as case counts push the facilities to capacity.

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state officials, approximately 740 Department of Defense medical and support professionals from the Army, Navy, and Air Force deployed to support COVID-19 operations in Texas and California.

“These are specialty groups that are just badly needed in the hospitals. One of the big things is, it does solidify capacity at the facility, which is a great thing.”Fresno County EMS Director Daniel Lynch

“We are committed to assisting those in need as part of the ongoing whole-of-America response to COVID-19,” said Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, U.S. Army North commander. “At the same time, we remain flexible and capable of providing other defense support to civil authorities as necessary.”

Approximately 160 Air Force medical and support personnel have been sent to California.

Community Medical Regional Center

CRMC will receive a team Thursday morning.

Fresno County EMS Director Daniel Lynch confirmed the team’s arrival during a zoom call with reporters Wednesday afternoon. “These are specialty groups that are just badly needed in the hospitals,” said Lynch. “One of the big things is, it does solidify capacity at the facility, which is a great thing.”

The military team is will serve a 30-day deployment in Fresno with the ability to extend for another 30 days if necessary.

The county health department is also working to assist hospitals with the current surge of patients. According to California’s statewide COVID tracking dashboard, Fresno County has seen an almost 58% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations over the past two weeks and 80% of ICU beds in the county are in use.

Interim county health officer Dr. Rais Vohra says despite this teams’ arrival, the county is still preparing for the activation of the Fresno Convention Center as a field hospital to provide extra bed space. “We talked to a staffing agency yesterday, we’re exploring the different staffing models because we want to be ready whenever our hospitals need us to be ready,” Vohra said.

U.S. Army Capt. Madeleine Lovejoy, left, a critical care nurse, learns discharge procedures from a staff member at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Military medical teams are arriving this week to assist staff at several Valley hospitals treat a surge of COVID-19 patients. (U.S. Army/Maj. Loni R. Ayers)

The closest operating overflow center is in Porterville, where about 12 patients are being treated. The facility can hold up to 50 COVID-19 patients, and Lynch said several who have been treated there have already been allowed to return home.

Visalia’s Kaweah Delta

As the number of COVID-19 patients being cared for at Kaweah Delta Medical Center reached an all-time high of 68 patients on Tuesday, the hospital’s chief executive officer invited the military to lend a hand.

The team is due to arrive there Thursday, hospital spokesperson Laura Florez-McCusker said.

Kaweah Delta has accepted the U.S. Department of Defense’s offer to send a team of 20 military healthcare workers – most from Travis Air Force Base – to assist the Visalia hospital with caring for COVID-19 patients, according to a news release.

This military team — comprised of three critical care physicians, 13 critical care registered nurses, two respiratory therapists, and two advanced practice providers —  will be deployed to Kaweah Delta’s 21-bed intensive care unit. The assignment there will be to care for 6-8 patients under the direction of Kaweah Delta’s clinical leadership team.

“It’s kind of sending in the cavalry, so to speak, with respect to being able to provide us with some much needed additional staffing,” CEO Gary Herbst said, noting that the hospital is running at 91% occupancy. “We have the ability to move patients around and we could probably create additional capacity to care for COVID-19 patients, but the challenge is being able to staff those beds.”

Hanford’s Adventist Health

Adventist Health Hanford is also welcoming a clinical team from the Department of Defense to support physicians and nurses caring for COVID patients.

In an emailed statement to GV Wire℠ the hospital said, “As the sole hospital serving Kings County, Adventist Health Hanford is welcoming a clinical team from the Department of Defense to provide additional capacity to support our physicians and nurses caring for our COVID-19 patients. The Department of Defense Medical Teams comprise clinical professionals – doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists – that will offer additional resources during the surge. They will also offer relief for our medical professionals who have been on the front lines serving patients throughout our COVID-19 response.”

The team is expected to begin caring for patients on Friday.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

DON'T MISS

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

DON'T MISS

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

DON'T MISS

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

DON'T MISS

Grand Rising Brings Sober Day Party Vibes to Fresno

DON'T MISS

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Leaves One Dead After Car Submerges in Canal

DON'T MISS

Lemoore Farmers Fed Up With Lack of Representation on Groundwater Agency

DON'T MISS

‘Jenny from the Block’ Rescued After Camping Out by Calwa ATM

UP NEXT

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

UP NEXT

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

UP NEXT

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

UP NEXT

US Judge Reaffirms Nationwide Injunction Blocking Trump Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

UP NEXT

White House Will Release $5.5 Billion for Schools, After Surprise Delay

UP NEXT

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

UP NEXT

US States to Get $608 Million From FEMA to Build Migrant Detention Centers

UP NEXT

Trump: Strong Dollar Sounds Good but ‘You Make a Hell of a Lot More’ With a Weaker One

UP NEXT

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

UP NEXT

Trump Says US May Not Have a Negotiated Trade Deal With Canada

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

4 hours ago

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

4 hours ago

Grand Rising Brings Sober Day Party Vibes to Fresno

4 hours ago

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

4 hours ago

Fresno Crash Leaves One Dead After Car Submerges in Canal

4 hours ago

Lemoore Farmers Fed Up With Lack of Representation on Groundwater Agency

5 hours ago

‘Jenny from the Block’ Rescued After Camping Out by Calwa ATM

5 hours ago

Tulare Officer Injured in Crash While Trying to Save Unresponsive Infant. Child Dies at Hospital

20 hours ago

PBS Has a Future by Leaving the Past Behind: Opinion

21 hours ago

Fresno Council Candidate Rassamni Says City Is Investigating Him Amid Allegations by Arias

21 hours ago

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

The entire board of directors overseeing Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools in Sacramento has either resigned or been removed...

1 hour ago

The entire board of Highlands Community Charter in Sacramento stepped down after a state audit found the school improperly received over $180 million and engaged in questionable spending. (Shutter
1 hour ago

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

The NASA logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 16, 2021. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron visit a ward for Palestinian patients at El Arish Hospital, close to the border with the Gaza Strip, in Arish, Egypt April 8, 2025. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
4 hours ago

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

U.S. President Donald Trump golfs at Trump Turnberry resort in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 26, 2025. (Reuters/Phil Noble)
4 hours ago

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

Noah Robinson, 38, was arrested after allegedly robbing a Visalia Long John Silver’s at knifepoint and attempting to flee through nearby backyards with $110 in stolen cash on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Visalia PD)
4 hours ago

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

4 hours ago

Grand Rising Brings Sober Day Party Vibes to Fresno

Craft Brewer Jack McAuliffe With Jim Koch of Samuel Adams
4 hours ago

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

fresno
4 hours ago

Fresno Crash Leaves One Dead After Car Submerges in Canal

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend