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FEMA approves medical response team for Summa Health in Akron amid COVID surge

'We’re delighted to learn from FEMA we are going to be receiving resources targeted to the Summa Health System,' ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said.

AKRON, Ohio — More help is on the way for Northeast Ohio as the current wave of COVID infections continues making an impact on hospitals.

FEMA -- the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- has approved a medical response team to help provide support at Summa Hospital in Akron.

That update came Thursday morning from Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff during his latest COVID press conference.

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"At this time, we are still awaiting details concerning the makeup of that team," Dr. Vanderhoff said.

When 3News' Sara Shookman asked for additional details, Dr. Vanderhoff offered the following statement: “As I noted, we really don’t have any details. We’re delighted to learn from FEMA we are going to be receiving resources targeted to the Summa Health System, but we really don’t have any additional details at this time.”

RELATED: COVID surge in Ohio: Health officials warn case rates remain high, but note some 'signs of improvement'

We streamed Dr. Vanderhoff's entire press conference, which you can watch in full below:

The Cleveland Clinic, meanwhile, has recently welcomed 20 medical professionals from the U.S. Air Force who have been dispatched to provide their assistance amid the COVID surge. Those team members are currently in orientation and are expected to begin their work on the clinical floors later this week, according to Alice Kim, MD, Medical Director for Medical Operations at the Cleveland Clinic.

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RELATED: University Hospitals give special thank you to Ohio National Guard members helping with COVID surge

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