MOREHEAD, Ky. (LEX 18) — In response to the increase in hospitalizations across the state, more help has arrived to ease the burden on healthcare workers and capacity.
The governor's office has announced that a National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Team will be working at St. Claire Regional Medical Center at Morehead through September 17. They arrived on Saturday.
“We are pursuing every opportunity to increase our capacity to respond to this deadly surge and to assist our health care facilities and staff, which are strained caring for our fellow Kentuckians with record hospitalizations and critically ill patients,” said Gov. Beshear in a statement.
The NDMS team includes a medical officer, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, supply officer, respiratory therapist, 4 registered nurses, and three paramedics. The increased staff presence means more hospital beds can be used, and the team can support emergency department operations.
In the latest available COVID-19 daily report from Friday, September 3, there were 2,365 COVID-positive patients hospitalized, with 661 in the ICU and 425 using a ventilator.
Beshear's office also says that in response to the latest surge, there 10-member FEMA EMS strike teams positiioned in Corbin, Lexington, Louisville, Owensboro, and Somerset.
The National Guard has also been deployed to several hospitals across the state, including: St. Clairein Morehead, ARH in Hazard, The Medical Center at Bowling Green, and Pikeville Medical Center.
