Biden Administration deploys medical team to Arizona to support local COVID-19 response

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to support communities across the country in the fight against COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is deploying a team of 15 medical providers and support staff from the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) to provide temporary medical surge support at Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

The NDMS personnel include physicians, advanced healthcare professionals, nurses, a respiratory therapist, and a paramedic who serve as intermittent federal personnel for up to 14 days per deployment. The state of Arizona requested the support from the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to aid in efforts to respond to a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the area and to provide temporary relief to local medical personnel.

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain our country’s health care system and medical personnel,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell. “These NDMS teams serve as a lifeline to hospitals by providing temporary relief to staff, adding bed capacity, decreasing wait times, and improving outcomes for COVID-19 patients. We are committed to helping states respond to the Omicron outbreak and keep Americans safe.”

Since the start of the pandemic, HHS’ ASPR has conducted 1,746 support missions and deployed more than 10,000 medical, logistical, and command and control personnel from NDMS to help 36 states, territories, and jurisdictions respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, an NDMS team also is in Rhode Island, and additional teams are scheduled to deploy to other states later this month.

ASPR leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters and public health emergencies. To learn more about HHS’ response to COVID-19, please visit https://aspr.h​hs.gov/COVID-19/. For more information about ASPR and NDMS, visit https://aspr.hhs.gov/N​DMS/.