Arrival of Department of Defense Medical Teams at Strong Memorial Hospital
In a bid to alleviate the strain on healthcare facilities in Upstate New York during the ongoing omicron COVID-19 surge, the U.S. Department of Defense has deployed two Military Medical Teams (MMT) to UR Medicine's Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
The teams, consisting of approximately 40 clinical personnel and support staff, arrived over the weekend from military facilities in Nevada, Texas, Alabama, New Mexico, and Arizona. Lt. Col. Allan Delgado, a Family and Aerospace Medicine Nurse Practitioner with the U.S. Air Force, expressed enthusiasm about supporting FEMA and the state of New York during this critical time.
The Air Force MMTs assigned to Strong Memorial Hospital include physicians, medical-surgical nurses, respiratory therapists, medical technicians, and support staff. Upon arrival, the medical personnel began training in hospital systems and procedures to ensure seamless integration into the existing healthcare workforce.
The mission in Rochester involves a minimum 30-day deployment, commencing once the teams are operational. The Air Force medical personnel will stand alongside the medical teams at Strong Memorial Hospital to provide additional support during the omicron COVID surge.
The arrival of the Air Force medical personnel is timely and will help the overburdened health care workforce to continue providing high-quality care to patients across Upstate New York. The mission is part of the Defense Department's ongoing COVID response operations to support FEMA and New York State.
Ten days prior, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that FEMA had agreed to deploy MMTs to Strong Memorial Hospital and SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, and that a team that had been deployed to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo would extend its mission. Senator Charles Schumer wrote to FEMA requesting the deployment of military and disaster medical assistance teams to the Finger Lakes and other regions of New York State to assist with the omicron COVID surge on January 21.
Steven I. Goldstein, M.H.A., senior vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center, expressed gratitude to Senator Schumer, Governor Hochul, and other representatives for their support in providing critical relief throughout the pandemic. University of Rochester Medical Center CEO Mark Taubman also expressed appreciation to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Defense Department, and the Air Force medical teams for their support.
The omicron COVID surge has strained hospital capacity in the Finger Lakes and other regions of New York State, necessitating additional support from federal and military medical personnel. The deployment of these teams is a testament to the partnership between the federal government, state authorities, and local healthcare providers in addressing this urgent public health crisis.
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