LANSING, Mich. — The federal government will send a medical team of up to 25 people to help Sparrow Hospital treat COVID-19 patients.
Sparrow will be one of six Michigan hospitals to receive assistance, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Service.s
“As we continue facing down the Omicron variant, I am grateful to our federal partners for their continued support. They are providing critical relief to Michigan's hospitals," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “Our health care professionals have been on the frontlines of the pandemic for nearly two years, and I urge Michiganders to do their part to keep themselves safe and help our hospitals. Get vaccinated and if you are eligible, get your booster, to keep yourself out of the hospital."
The team is set to start treating patients on Feb. 7 and to remain for the next 30 days.
"We are grateful for this assistance for our incredible Sparrow caregivers, who have been tirelessly protecting the community since this pandemic began," said James F. Dover, Sparrow Health System president and CEO, in a statement. "We want to thank Governor Whitmer and the state for its help and especially Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who has been steadfast in advocating for boots-on-the-ground support for Sparrow in combating the huge surge of COVID cases among both patients and our caregivers."
Department of Defense teams have also provided support at Beaumont Hospital – Dearborn, Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Covenant HealthCare in Saginaw, Mercy Health Muskegon and Henry Ford Hospital in Wyandotte.
As of Friday, 4,286 Michiganders were hospitalized for COVID-19.
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