San Diego-based Scripps Health sent a team of five nurses to provide care to victims affected by the Camp Fire in Northern California, as requested by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority.
The team plans to stay for about a week at the EMSA evacuation center in Chico, Calif., and Scripps is preparing a second standby team in case additional help is required.
"As we have done in the aftermath of many disasters – whether in California, elsewhere in the country or around the world – we made our Scripps Medical Response Team available to area hospitals and disaster relief authorities almost immediately," Scripps CEO Chris Van Gorder wrote in a memo to employees. "We always want to help in disaster situations, but it's always important for us to have a clear mission and for us to be part of a broader organized effort."