NORFOLK, Va. — While many people are preparing and shopping for last-minute Christmas gifts, a federal team out of Virginia is helping a hospital up north that is dealing with a COVID surge.
Virginia-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team is at Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire.
“New Hampshire and the northeast is experiencing a COVID surge and it’s taxing the resources of the hospital facilities,” said Michael Player, the VA1-DMAT team commander.
Two dozen group members from VA1-DMAT are there, many of whom are from places like Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake.
“All of our providers actually work in Hampton Roads and throughout Virginia, providing the same type of care. But Virginia right now is not in the same situation that New Hampshire is in,” Player explained
He said the hospital’s intensive care unit is at 162% capacity and that more than 90% of COVID-19 patients at the hospital are not vaccinated.
“When we are responding to hospitals that are in need of assistance, it’s because they are using all of their tools to manage as best as they can and still fall short of what they need,” he said.
Player said the team will head back home to Virginia on December 23, where they’ll be on-call for their next possible mission until the end of the year.
“All of us do it because we are by nature, of the type of jobs that we do, we’re helpers,” Player said.
Virginia-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team has supported more than 40 missions this year. Leaders said not all were COVID-related; they also helped during hurricanes and national security special events.
The Tidewater EMS Council, which is located in Chesapeake, helps provide financial support to the Virginia-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team.