MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — A U.S. Air Force medical team is now working side by side with staff at Mercy Health Muskegon as COVID-19 cases in Muskegon County continue to add significant stress on the hospital and staff.
Members of the medical team from Wright-Paterson Air Force base near Dayton, Ohio arrived in Muskegon last week. The team of 15 Airmen includes two physicians, five nurses and seven medical technicians.
"They're now providing service right alongside our local staff," said Mercy Health Muskegon's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Justin Grill. "We truly do owe them a debt of gratitude for their service."
The team's deployment to Muskegon is for 30 days. The time could be extended based on the discretion of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Grill says the team will be in place for what could be another COVID-19 surge in January following holiday events and celebrations.
"In order for us to return these men and women to their normal duties, we really need the community to help us and primarily that will be with vaccination," Grill said. "We know that's the best tool to prevent hospitalization. And simple things like wearing a mask and social distancing when you're out in public."
According to Grill, the military medical team will work similar hours to hospital staff. The U.S. Department of Defense arranged housing for team members while in Muskegon.
The concern in Muskegon is both the volume of COVID cases and hospital staffing challenges.
"We've seen, like every other hospital in the country, staff leaving for higher paying travel jobs," Grill said.
Currently staff at Mercy Health Muskegon are treating around 50 COVID-19 patients occupying nearly two floors of the hospital.
"And we know that as these COVID patients become more and more ill and require intensive care they require longer stays in our ICU," Grill said.
The state of Michigan requested federal assistance as COVID-19 cases spiked in part due to the omicron variant. That request led the federal government to sent U.S. Department of Defense medical teams to Spectrum Health's Butterworth and Blodgett hospitals, Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn and Covenant HeatlhCare in Saginaw.
"You always wonder what your mission is going to be when you're put on standby," said U.S. Air Force Major Tonya Toche-Howard. "We just brought our skill set here to Muskegon where we're happy to integrate and assist. It's going well, and we'll be here as long as needed."
"The mission changes, the needs change, but the ultimate duty is the same," said U.S. Air Force Doctor Adrian Barron. "We're always ready to go where our nation calls us."
Beside the teams already deployed to Michigan, the U.S. Department of Defense has seven teams working in five other states – one in Colorado, one in Indiana, two in Minnesota, two in New Mexico and one in Wisconsin.
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