The federal government is deploying about two dozen mainland nurses to Oahu this week to help front-line workers with the surge of COVID-19 patients at the Queen’s Medical Center.

The first group of nurses, assigned to the emergency department, intensive care and medical-surgical units taking care of coronavirus patients, arrived Tuesday at the Punchbowl campus.

“We are extremely grateful for the federal government’s outstanding support, advocacy and aid,” said Queen’s Health Systems’ President and CEO Jill Hoggard Green in a news release. Green and Jason Chang, hospital president and COVID-19 incident commander, requested the additional staffing from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide respite to local front-line workers. “This team of nurses and administrative staff will provide essential and welcomed relief to our clinicians who have been caring for patients with COVID-19 with compassion, determination and courage.”

The medical team from the Veterans Health Administration and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is scheduled to work at the hospital for the next two weeks.