Army to tour United Memorial Medical Center today as military sets up hospital for COVID-19 patients
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The military will tour a north Houston hospital today as the Army comes to help in the fight against COVID-19.
The local hospital system is under strain, from beds to staff, and Houston needs help taking care of thousands of COVID-19 patients.
Luckily, that help has arrived.
Army personnel will tour the United Memorial Medical Center hospital on Tidwell today.
The military is bringing with it a team of 85 people who will turn an empty wing of the hospital into a COVID-19 ward.
Video above from the Associated Press shows the military personnel who were sent to our area.
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The hospital wing at UMMC will be able to handle anywhere from 30 to 50 patients.
Health officials say about 2,000 coronavirus patients are being cared for at hospitals all across the Houston area.
The Army will take its first stop to opening its COVID-19 ward today.
"They are going to establish between 30 and 50 beds as the hospital there, they will take patients and transfers from other hospitals to lighten the load at the other hospitals," Dr. David Persse said at a press conference Monday.
The Army staff includes nurses and doctors.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced days ago that hundreds of medical personnel from the military would come to Texas. The U.S. Army later confirmed 580 military medical workers would arrive to help care for COVID-19 patients.
A similar team has been in San Antonio for the past week.
Representatives from UMMC on Tidwell in the Independence Heights area told ABC13 military personnel arrived on location Monday to greet hospital administrators and discuss initial plans.
The military has sent similar teams to other hard hit areas once considered to be epicenters.
