Arizona National Guard builds medical facility to help Navajo Nation coronavirus outbreak

The Arizona National Guard is now helping the Navajo Nation with its efforts to fight the new coronavirus.

This comes as the number of identified COVID-19 cases passes 100 in the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation, which is the second most populous Native American tribe in the country, spans Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

On Sunday afternoon, a team of eight medical professionals flew to Tuba City to assess the medical situation and advise how they can make the most out of their remaining medical resources, a spokesperson said in a press release Monday.

"The demand for medical resources outweighs what they have to fight this pandemic," U.S Army Col. Tom Leaper, the Arizona National Guard State Surgeon, said in the press release.

A group of 19 soldiers arrived Sunday afternoon and worked overnight to establish a medical care facility in Chinle, Arizona.

The station holds about 50 beds that will be used as an overflow space for patients once hospitals reach capacity.

Leaper added in the release that the National Guard's purpose is to help with increasing the capacity of the health care system and "assisting with the development of a sustainable approach utilizing civilian partners and stakeholder integration."

Ever since Gov. Doug Ducey called on the Arizona National Guard on March 19 to help the state's response to the new coronavirus, the National Guard has focused on helping food banks and grocery stores. The mission with the Navajo Nation represents a pivot showing their ability to work in the health care system as well.

More than 1,000 Arizona Guard members have been activated to help the state's response to the new coronavirus, according to the release.

Reach breaking news reporter Alyssa Stoney at alyssa.stoney@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @stoney_alyssa