Federal medical personnel will provide staffing backup at Dallas-based Parkland Hospital, The Dallas Morning News reports.
Gov. Greg Abbott and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson requested the backup as Texas is among the states hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Johnson tweeted July 9 that the federal government is sending Disaster Medical Assistance Teams to the region to boost staffing and, for now, at least one Dallas hospital will receive staff.
Michael Malaise, senior vice president of communications and external relations for Parkland, told the Morning News the federal medical personnel would be working in a "variety of roles at the health system" and that the number of additional staff that will be arriving is not yet known.
According to the newspaper, federal medical personnel were already sent to Houston and San Antonio.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar told CBS 11 the professionals include military and HHS personnel to help staff hospitals as COVID-19 hospitalizations rise statewide.
"We're continuing to advance on getting additional Department of Defense and HHS personnel in there in addition to supporting Texas with hiring contract doctors, nurses and nurses aides from elsewhere in the country to surge in and make sure those facilities are available," he said.
Texas is among five states that set single-day records for new infections July 8, according to The New York Times. As of July 9, at least 2,940 people have died of the illness statewide.
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