Inside the field hospital operation at NYC's Javits Center
Col. Kimberlee Aiello, commander of the 44th Medical Brigade, joins 'Fox & Friends.'
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In an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Monday, Col. Kimberlee Aiello explained the use of the Javits Center in New York City, which was recently approved by President Trump to ease the burden on medical providers flooded by coronavirus patients.
“We look for the need and, really, what the state and city asked for. And what we’re seeing is that there is also needs at the front lines and the front lines are the city and state hospitals,” the 44th Commander of the Medical Brigade said.
The 44th Medical Brigade is a United States Army unit that provided medical support and health care in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. They were directed by the Department of Defense to aid first responders in New York City.
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Aiello said that their ability to place providers at the front lines gives “hope to decrease pressure” on medical providers in city hospitals.
Trump on Thursday approved New York City’s Javits Center to begin treating COVID-19 patients to free up space in the city’s crowded hospitals, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.
The Javits Center, located between 34th and 40th streets on the west side of the city, in Hell’s Kitchen, had been reconfigured earlier this week into a temporary hospital with 2,500 beds to treat non-coronavirus patients.
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As of Thursday, there were nearly 52,000 COVID-19 cases in New York City alone, with 1,397 deaths, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.
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The arrangement with the Javits Center was one of many makeshift hospitals set up in the city to deal with the onslaught of coronavirus patients.
Over the next few weeks, spaces -- including pro tennis courts, college dorms and a cruise ship terminal -- are supposed to start housing patients as New York state races to roughly triple its hospital capacity.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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