GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Department of Defense has deployed medical personnel to help care for COVID-19 patients at Spectrum Health, with a team set to arrive this week.

West Michigan’s largest hospital system said all 22 federal health care workers will be here by Thursday, with a few arriving early to begin preparations.

“We have about six individuals that will be arriving here (Tuesday)… making sure that when those providers hit the ground, we have the ability to deploy them in all of the right spaces, which will predominately be inside of our hospitals settings,” Chad Tuttle, the senior vice president of hospital operations with Spectrum Health, said.

The Department of Defense has deployed another 22 health care workers to Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn. Both teams will include nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists.

Tuttle praised the quick turnaround after the federal government agreed last week to send in reinforcements.

The support comes as the health care system hit another record high number of COVID-19 inpatients Monday: 438 across its hospitals.

“Our COVID census was at the highest level it has ever been, our staffing resources are as constrained as they’ve ever been and frankly, we’re running out of spaces to treat inpatients,” Tuttle said.

The military medical team will be on hand for at least 30 days. Tuttle said the state is still waiting to learn if additional teams will be deployed to other areas in need.

“The state has requested additional teams to be able to deploy particularly to West Michigan,” he said.