Manhattan Beach: LA County Supervisor Hahn Asks For Medical Help

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — In response to the surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Los Angeles County, Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Manhattan Beach, has written a letter, dated December 29, to California Governor Gavin Newsom supporting SEIU 721’s request for additional healthcare workers in Los Angeles County hospitals. Hahn has also requested that Gov. Newsom call on federal partners to dispatch the USNS Mercy hospital ship to the Port of Los Angeles.

“Our SEIU healthcare workers are exhausted and our hospitals are overwhelmed," said Supervisor Hahn. "They need backup. This surge is the crisis that we dreaded all along. We need as much support as we can get for our healthcare workers and we need the USNS Mercy back in the Port of Los Angeles.”

Hahn is also supporting SEIU 721’s request for Army National Guard medical personnel, specifically registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and respiratory care practitioners, to be sent to LA County hospitals. Hospitals across LA County are preparing to ration care as COVID-19 hospitalizations rise and surpass the ability of available staff to properly treat patients.

The USNS Mercy had previously docked at the Port of LA early on in the pandemic, but departed when hospitalizations did not rise to the point of overwhelming local hospitals. Although the USNS Mercy cannot treat COVID-19 patients, it would be able to treat non-COVID-19 patients and relieve some of the burden on LA County hospitals, according to a news release.

The letter can be viewed online here.