Governor Dan McKee today issued the following statement on the announcement by President Joe Biden that Rhode Island has secured and will receive FEMA emergency medical personnel to support hospital staffing needs.
“We promised Rhode Islanders that we would pursue every resource to alleviate stress on our hospital system and support critical staffing needs. Yesterday, our whole of government COVID response team announced a series of initiatives and partnerships to help us make good on that promise.
As part of this comprehensive action plan, several weeks ago, I sent a letter to FEMA requesting emergency medical personnel to provide direct support to local hospitals. Our Administration worked closely with local hospital leadership to complete the application process.
Today, I am encouraged that President Biden has announced that Rhode Island will receive a team of FEMA emergency medical personnel arriving over the next couple of weeks.
I thank the President for recognizing the crucial need in Rhode Island and stepping up to ensure we were included as one of six states receiving this vital support.”
Governor McKee’s office provided the following additional information via a press release on Thursday afternoon;
“The Governor’s Office has been in touch with FEMA Region 1 regarding the emergency medical personnel arriving in Rhode Island to support hospital staffing needs. To update our earlier announcement:
- A Department of Defense medical team consisting of 23 personnel will arrive as early as the end of next week to support Rhode Island Hospital in its Emergency Department and/or Medical/Surgical unit. They will be stationed there for 30 days. It will include a mix of doctors, nurses, medics, and support staff, appropriate to the COVID response requirements that Rhode Island Hospital has now.
- A National Disaster Medical System medical team consisting of 14 personnel will arrive as early as next week to support Kent Hospital in its Emergency Department and/or Medical/Surgical Unit. They will be stationed there for 14 days. It will include a mix of nurses, medics, and support staff, appropriate to the COVID response requirements that Kent Hospital has now”.
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