ST. LOUIS — Federal help arrived on Wednesday for a local hospital trying to keep up with the surge of COVID patients. Assisting is FEMA's U.S. Navy military medical personnel.
Christian Hospital in North St. Louis County is getting that relief with a group of 44 doctors and nurses coming in.
"We welcome these physicians and these nurses and these providers that will be here today," said U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat who represents the area.
The arrival comes after the St. Louis Pandemic Task Force asked for federal aid almost three weeks ago.
Earlier this month, Bush also insisted on Missouri Governor Mike Parson to ask for federal help immediately.
"North St. Louis County was hit very hard, it was the Black community in north county that was suffering the most from COVID," she said.
Among the 11 facilities asking for support, one was picked to get that federal aid.
"Christian Hospital was a priority because of the region that it serves and because of the amount of stress it was under and it will make a difference in the rest of the region," said Dr. Alex Garza with the St. Louis Pandemic Task Force.
5 On Your Side received some data from the St. Louis County Health Department about vaccination rates in north St. Louis County.
"We have put the majority of our vaccination efforts in north St. Louis County, focusing most of our clinical services as well as our neighborhood vaccination clinics there," said spokesperson Christopher Ave. "While we increased vaccination percentages in that area, it still lags behind other parts of the county."
- Specifically, in the inner north region, 51.1% of the population has received at least one dose, and 43.1% are fully vaccinated
- In the outer north area, 61.4% have received at least one dose and 52.9% are fully vaccinated
- For the total population, 69% have received at least one dose and 59.3% have been fully vaccinated
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page addressed the decision in a news briefing Wednesday morning.
"I agree with their decision," said Page. "St. Louis County has focused on the most vulnerable. They wouldn’t be coming if we weren’t in trouble, if we didn’t need help."
The 44-person crew shows up as hospitalizations and admissions trend down. However, levels are still higher than any point before the omicron surge.
"Our hospitals remain full, emergency departments are full and not a lot of rooms in our ICUs. Although this is improving many of our staff tend to be out for COVID," Dr. Garza said.
Understaffed and overwhelmed. A scene Bush saw for herself in November at Christian Hospital.
"We were able to walk around the hospital and I was able to talk with the nurses and talk with the other staff," she said. "This was before omicron and they were already overworked and tired and spent."
The task force admits it'll take some time to decompress the overload hospitals face.
But the helping hands arriving Wednesday, can alleviate some stress that's been piled on.
"Because we are still in this vulnerable time, it’s a welcome sign of relief that federal help is arriving," Dr. Garza said.
On Jan. 21, Bush issued the statement below after Governor Mike Parson’s request for federal medical support:
“As we made clear in our letter to Governor Parson more than two weeks ago, St. Louis needed him to step up and request federal assistance to help our region respond to the Omicron variant. Ever since, we have remained in consistent contact with state and local health departments, FEMA, and health care leaders in our region as we pushed for this relief that our communities have desperately needed. Today, we are one step closer to having what our community needs to address this pandemic. This federal assistance is a lifeline for our nurses, doctors, and other health care professionals who have given so much of themselves to save lives in the midst of this crisis, and it will help our hospitals to more adequately meet the needs of our St. Louis community throughout this surge.”