Veterans hospitals treating nonveteran COVID-19 patients.

The Tucson and Phoenix Veteran Affairs Healthcare Systems are taking in nonveteran COVID-19 patients in response to a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of Arizona.

Each location has space to care for up to 10 nonveteran COVID-19 patients, according to news releases from the agencies Wednesday.

The Phoenix VA began accepting nonveteran patients July 11, transferring three critical and noncritical COVID-19 positive patients to its Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, the release said.

VA traditionally provides health care, benefits and memorial affairs to U.S. veterans, and during national emergencies, can provide other services.

It’s what is known as “VA’s Fourth Mission,” to help serve the general public, the releases said.

“Because Arizona continues to see coronavirus cases and high occupancy in hospitals, we’re proud to open our doors to our community as we expand our participation in VA’s fourth mission,” Dr. Alyshia Smith, director of the Phoenix VA Health Care System, said in a prepared statement.

Hospitalizations across the state may be starting to trend down but remain high, with more than 3,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals daily since early July.

Both the Phoenix and Tucson VA also are sending VA personnel and supplies to non-VA hospitals and care facilities in Arizona.

For the next two weeks, Tucson VA is sending 53 health care workers to four non-VA facilities, in addition to its ongoing staffing help at the Whiteriver Indian Health Services hospital, which started in June, according to VA officials.

The VA in Phoenix sent 16 nurses to Kayenta and Tuba City, as well as four nurses to a community nursing home in Los Angeles. Phoenix VA staff also donated supplies to the Navajo Nation.

All of these efforts have come in addition to focusing on their primary mission: treating veterans.