More than 40 U.S. Army Reserve members assist on the frontlines at YRMC

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Over the past week, U.S. Army Reserve members have been working alongside frontline workers at Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC). More than 40 service-members are coming to the hospital at a crucial time.

That's because there are currently 106 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, 28 are in the intensive care unit (ICU).

“They're trying to do the best they can with all of our patients, and with the help of the army has really helped you know, remove that extra patient or sometimes even to and be able to provide the care that they need,” said Elizabeth Lara admin director at YRMC.

The request comes after the hospital saw a high volume of patients and transfers being sent out.

With assistance from the Army Reserves, YRMC nurses can focus on fewer patients.

First Lieutenant Jeffrey Lee supports nurses with various tasks.

“I’m the operations officer for the U.S. Army Reserve task force. So I do a lot of day-to-day operational things such as report data analytics, you know just gathering information from the nurses and the staff here just to be able to support them, so they can support the hospital," Lt. Lee said.

The hospital’s goal is to keep the team here for at least 30 days while hospitalizations continue to stay consistent.

A new request has been made to determine if the task force will remain in Yuma for another two weeks.

Local, state, and federal officials will make the final decision.