Wolf Administration Asks Feds to Support Health Care System in Battling Pandemic
DEC 20 2021 11:30 am
HARRISBURG – The Wolf Administration requested additional support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist Pennsylvania in addressing the latest surge in COVID-19 cases. The Commonwealth has reached case counts approaching levels seen during the winter wave in 2020-2021. Wolf requested strike teams, at-home testing, and support for rural areas, among other things.
“Our health care system is strained from COVID-19 cases and further exacerbated by persistent staffing shortages across the sector,” said Wolf. “Today, I outlined key areas that my administration, along with health care systems, believes would garner the most impactful support for our deserving health care professionals who have been on the front lines battling this pandemic for 22 months.”
In the request, Wolf outlined the following key areas to FEMA:
- Critical Staffing Support of clinical and non-clinical professionals across the commonwealth with the highest hospital utilization including:
- Hospital strike teams,
- Skilled nursing facility strike teams, and
- Ambulance strike teams.
- Continued Pandemic Response Support specifically focused on rural areas, regions with higher social vulnerability, and lower vaccinations rates including:
- 1 million rapid at-home COVID-19 tests, and
- Increased allocation of monoclonal antibodies.
“I want to thank the Biden Administration for their steadfast leadership in addressing the pandemic since taking office,” said Wolf. “I am hopeful that these critically important supports will be addressed to alleviate the strain on our health care system and ultimately be able to provide Pennsylvanians the care they need during this time.”
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), and U.S. Representatives Susan Wild (D-PA-07), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02), Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08), Conor Lamb (D-PA-17) and Mike Doyle (D-PA-18), sent a letter to FEMA in support of Pennsylvania’s request.
As of December 16, there were over 4,600 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, and the numbers are climbing each day. Pennsylvania’s test positivity rate is 14.4 percent, and the case rate is over 465 per 100,000 residents, indicating extremely high rates of viral transmission.