The U.S Navy members of a medical response team is heading back home this evening.
For two months, they've been working with the National Guard, the Air Force, and the staff at Oschner Lafayette General Medical System to help with COVID-19 patients.
"The southern hospitality, it has brought us to tears, it has also brought us to the other side of humanity. United together we make a difference. Good southern hospitality is something that is unparalleled. With that, we take it to our heart and with us when we go home," Diana Tran-Yu, Lt. Commander, U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps, said.
Hospital officials say the extra medical staff members are no longer needed, which is a sign of positive changes.
"We have 17 COVID positive patients in our hospital at main campus, 21 across our region. We are in a much different place then we were 60 days ago, " Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center CEO Al Patin said.
In August, the need for help was much greater.
"We had over 100 COVID positive patients in our main campus, almost 170 across our region. We also had a lot of our staff impacted by COVID," explained Patin.
Members of the military medical response team leaving Lafayette say they learned a lot from the hospital staff over the last 60 days, while also getting to pass on their own knowledge and experiences.
"Some of the things they do and practice, we were able to adopt, and they're taking some of those practices with them. It was a win win, it was a great experience overall," Patin said.
Tran-Yu said during the team's time in Lafayette, "We have learned the unity of human life," adding her team will never forget the way Acadiana responded to their help.
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