The Antelope Valley Times

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Lancaster and AV Hospital address surge in COVID-19 cases

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LANCASTER – To better handle the influx of Covid-19 patients, Antelope Valley Hospital will receive additional medical staff — including nurses, emergency medical technicians, and respiratory doctors — from the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (CAEMSA), Lancaster city officials announced Monday.

According to a city-issued news release:

On December 23, Mayor Parris sent an urgent request to the U.S. Congressional Offices of Representative Mike Garcia and Representative Kevin McCarthy and former Representative Buck McKeon regarding the issues that AVH were facing. In the request, Mayor Parris stated that AVH was becoming overrun by a large influx of COVID-19 patients. The hospital is drastically understaffed and medical staff is suffering from exhaustion. Due to the influx of patients, the hospital is experiencing overcrowding and being forced to treat patients in overflow tents outside.”

“Immediately following this request, Rep. Garcia and Rep. McCarthy contacted their Agency liaisons in the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to solicit assistance. Because of around the clock efforts and communication with the CAEMSA, this much needed support will be provided to AVH. The Congressional offices have assured Lancaster they will continue to monitor the situation daily and be available to support the City.”

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Mayor Parris and the Lancaster COVID-19 team project that the need for intensive care unit (ICU) beds could triple, and the need for hospital beds could double in the next month, city officials said in the news release.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure that the hospital and the community are supported. However, it is imperative that our residents understand the severity of our situation and do everything they can to stay safe, including wearing a mask, washing your hands frequently, and maintaining physical distance or staying home,” Parris said. “Together, we must continue to do everything we can to support Lancaster.”

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7 comments for "Lancaster and AV Hospital address surge in COVID-19 cases"

  1. Hopefully now with help coming in, u will do something with these patients instead of them being in the hallways! I’m not just talking Er hallways either.

  2. Yet Rex refuses to address his mega church and the continued indoor services. Indoor gatherings are the worst and Rex ignores it. He preaches mask wearing, which is good, but doesn’t dare address the larger issue of indoor gatherings. He picks and chooses what rules to follow. That is not the sign of a good leader.

      • Ditto to that poor leadership in Lancaster, you notice the entire City Council is silent as they are afraid to anger Rex by showing leadership. They are not really needed anymore. Lancaster needs districts

  3. The Federal government sent a hospital ship with personnel in March. Where is it now? Can it be deployed again?

  4. “…this much needed support will be provided to AVH.”

    Can we get some specifics on what “support” will be provided?

    This seems a bit vague.

    • Its vague because its all about money and control even though they’re a semetic organization that’s financially well off. Its always about more.