Hawaii awarded $48 million for additional healthcare workers amidst COVID-19 surge
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded Hawaiʻi $47.9 million to bring additional health care workers to local hospitals burdened by COVID-19., Hawaiʻi congressional members announced on Wednesday.
According to a press release from Senator Brian Schatz’s Office (D-Hawaiʻi), the funding will be used to temporarily hire nearly 1,000 nurses and other medical staff, with additional funds expected in the future.
A press release from Representative Ed Case’s office (D-Hawaiʻi) said that the money comes from a request made to FEMA by the state Department of Health (DOH), prompted by fears of Hawaiʻi’s hospital system being overrun amidst the Omicron variant surge.
“This is great news for our severely overextended hospitals struggling with staffing shortages and health care workers closing in on two straight years of very difficult conditions as they continue to deal not just with record COVID cases but other often-deferred medical needs,” said Case in a press release.
According to Schatz’s office, the funds aim to sustain the temporary healthcare workers for the next three months.
