El Paso, Texas thus far appears to be the first place where the U.S. military is deploying into civilian hospitals in response to the COVID-19 surge.
On Nov. 6, U.S. Army North announced in a press release that in response to a FEMA request three U.S. Air Force Medical Specialty Teams, part of a Department of Defense COVID-19 operation in Texas, would begin to deploy to El Paso. The teams, each comprised of approximately 20 military medical providers and several administrative personnel, will support three El Paso city hospitals: the University Medical Center of El Paso, the Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus and the Las Palmas Del Sol Medical Center. The approximately 60 medical providers come from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi; Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and elsewhere. The release also said that U.S. Army military police and logistics units would deploy in support of the medical teams.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that he welcomed the deployment of the teams and said they would be “crucial to our efforts in reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations in El Paso.”
