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Military medics working at UMMC to battle wave of new COVID-19 cases

Team in Jackson from Texas

Military medics working at UMMC to battle wave of new COVID-19 cases

Team in Jackson from Texas

IS LIVE AT FIVE WITH MORE DETAILS... SCOTT... UMMC SAYS THEY DO NEED THE HELP. NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF TH E GROWING NUMBER OF CASES ENTERING THE DOORS HERE ....BUT THE NUMBER OF MEDICAL STAFF WHO HAVE LT EF IN THIS LATEST WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC. AN AIR FORCE TEAM OF MEDICS ARE HARD AT WORK AT UMMC.... < LT. COL. FRANK PORCELL/AIR FORCE TH M59EDICAL WING:SO WE BROUGHT 20 MEDICS WITH US: 14 RN'S, 4 MEDICAL DOCTORS AND TWO RESPIRATORY TENICHCIANS. LIEUTENANT COLONEL FRANK PORCELL CAME WITH THAT TEAM FROM TEXAS TO HELP THE STAFF AT UMMC....THE HOSPITAL ADMITS THE CASE LOAD HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING. SAMARITAN'S PURSE IS OPERATING OUT OF PARKING GARAGE C. A FEDERAL TEAM IS OPERATING A MAKEIFSH CLINIC OUT OF PARKING LOT B...AND UMMC SAYS IT STILL NEEDS MORE HELP. < LT. COL. FRANK PORCELL/AIR FORCE 59TH WING: SO TO BE ABLE TO COME AND WORK WITHIN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI AND AUGMENT THE UNIVERSITY'S MEDICAL STAFF IS TRULY AN HOR NO BECAUSE BY ASSISTING MISSISSIPPI WE ARE ASSTSIING TEXAS AND WE ARE ASSISTINTHG E UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THE DEMAND FOR OUTSIDE HEALTH CARE HELP GROWS AND IN MISSISSIPPI IT IS BEING MET WITH CONTRACD TE RKWOERS AND TEAMS FROM FEMA AND THE MILITARY. < JONATHAN WILSON/UMMC CAO:...OUR WORKFORCES I TIRED. THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS ... THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 18 MONTHS BUT THE LAST FEW WEEKS TS HI HAS REALLY BEEN TORTUROUS ON OUR STA. FF THE GOVERNOR REAEVLED THE STATE HAS LOST AN ESTIMATED 2- THOUSAND NURSES TO HIGHER PAY CONTRACT HEALTH CARE WORK OR OTHER AVENUES. UMMC YSSA IT HAS LOST WORKERS TOO BUT THIS LATEST FROM THE MILITARY AND CONTRACT WORKERS BEING BROUGHT IN BY THE STATE ARE NEEDED....BECAUSE NO ONE SEEMS CERTAIN WHEN THIS LATEST WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC LLWI SUBSIDE. < JONATHAN WILSON/UMMC CAO: THEY ARE ALL WORKING SIDE BY SIDE WITH OUR CLINIC AL PATIENTS, TAKING CARE OF OUR PATIENTS THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, THE MEDICAL SURGICAL FLOOR...JUST HELPING OUR .SCO TT SIMMONS: HOW LON G? JONATHAN WILSON/UMMC CAO: THAT DEPENDS ON HOW MANY FOLKS GET VACCINATED AS LONG AS WE ARE IN THE FIGHT DELTA WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THE HELP. TH AATIR FORCE TEAM FROM THE FEMA IS ON THE GROUND NOW. THE HOSPITAL IS ALSO ASKING FOR 40 NURSES FROM THE STATE'S CONTRACTED WORKERS .N..O WORD HOW MANY THEY WILL GE T. BAPTIST HOSPITAL IS GETTING 14 NURSES. SAINT DOMINIC IS GETTI 2NG0 PARAMEDICS AND HOPING FOR
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Military medics working at UMMC to battle wave of new COVID-19 cases

Team in Jackson from Texas

Mississippi officials are bringing hundreds of outside medical workers to help the state battle the enormous wave of new COVID-19 cases. An Air Force team of medics are already hard at work at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where officials said they do need the help. Not only because of the growing COVID-19 patients, but because of the number of medical staff who have left in the latest surge of the pandemic. "We brought 20 medics with us: 14 (nurses), four medical doctors and two respiratory technicians," said Lt. Col. Frank Porcell, with USAF 59th Medical Wing. Porcell came with that team from Texas to help the staff at UMMC. The hospital admits the caseload has been overwhelming.Samaritan’s Purse is operating out of Parking Garage C at UMMC. A federal team is operating a makeshift clinic out of Parking Garage B, and UMMC said it still needs more help."To be able to come and work within the state of Mississippi and augment the university’s medical staff is truly an honor, because by assisting Mississippi, we are assisting Texas, and we are assisting the United States of America," Porcell said.The demand for outside health care grows, and in Mississippi, it is being met with contracted workers and teams from FEMA and the military.“Our workforce is tired. They have been doing this, the pandemic has been going on for 18 months. But the last few weeks, this has really been torturous on our staff," said UMMC CAO Jonathan Wilson. Gov. Tate Reeves revealed the state has lost an estimated 2,000 nurses to higher pay contract health care work, or other avenues.UMMC said it has lost workers, too, but this latest help from the military and contract workers being brought in by the state are needed because no one seems certain when this latest wave of the pandemic will subside."They are all working side-by-side with our clinical patients, taking care of our patients, the emergency department, the medical surgical floor – just helping out," Wilson said. UMMC is also asking for 40 nurses from the state’s contracted workers. No word on how many they will get. Baptist Hospital is getting 14 nurses. St. Dominic is getting 20 paramedics and hoping for more.
JACKSON, Miss. —

Mississippi officials are bringing hundreds of outside medical workers to help the state battle the enormous wave of new COVID-19 cases.

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An Air Force team of medics are already hard at work at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where officials said they do need the help. Not only because of the growing COVID-19 patients, but because of the number of medical staff who have left in the latest surge of the pandemic.

"We brought 20 medics with us: 14 (nurses), four medical doctors and two respiratory technicians," said Lt. Col. Frank Porcell, with USAF 59th Medical Wing.

Porcell came with that team from Texas to help the staff at UMMC. The hospital admits the caseload has been overwhelming.

Samaritan’s Purse is operating out of Parking Garage C at UMMC. A federal team is operating a makeshift clinic out of Parking Garage B, and UMMC said it still needs more help.

"To be able to come and work within the state of Mississippi and augment the university’s medical staff is truly an honor, because by assisting Mississippi, we are assisting Texas, and we are assisting the United States of America," Porcell said.

The demand for outside health care grows, and in Mississippi, it is being met with contracted workers and teams from FEMA and the military.

“Our workforce is tired. They have been doing this, the pandemic has been going on for 18 months. But the last few weeks, this has really been torturous on our staff," said UMMC CAO Jonathan Wilson.

Gov. Tate Reeves revealed the state has lost an estimated 2,000 nurses to higher pay contract health care work, or other avenues.

UMMC said it has lost workers, too, but this latest help from the military and contract workers being brought in by the state are needed because no one seems certain when this latest wave of the pandemic will subside.

"They are all working side-by-side with our clinical patients, taking care of our patients, the emergency department, the medical surgical floor – just helping out," Wilson said.

UMMC is also asking for 40 nurses from the state’s contracted workers. No word on how many they will get. Baptist Hospital is getting 14 nurses. St. Dominic is getting 20 paramedics and hoping for more.