Politics & Government
Federal Teams To Address Staffing Shortages At RI, Kent Hospitals
Rhode Island was one of the six latest states chosen to receive staffing support from FEMA.
PROVIDENCE, RI — Reinforcements are coming to Rhode Island. The Ocean State will be one of six states to receive a team of health care workers from the federal government, to address staffing shortages in hospitals.
President Joe Biden announced the decision during a speech updating the nation on the "whole-of-government" response to the latest COVID-19 surge. Along with Rhode Island, teams will also be sent to Michigan, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey and Ohio.
"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," Gov. Dan McKee said. "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."
Find out what's happening in Cranstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As early as next week, a team of 23 people from the Department of Defense are scheduled to arrive in Rhode Island. They will be stationed in Rhode Island Hospital's emergency department for at least 30 days, and will include doctors, nurses, medics, and support staff, McKee's office said Thursday afternoon.
A second team of 14 is set to arrive around the same time. They will spend 14 days in Kent Hospital's emergency department and medical and surgical units. This team will consist of nurses, medics and support staff.
Find out what's happening in Cranstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Dec. 15, McKee sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency calling for additional support to help address staffing shortages. His administration "worked closely with local hospital leadership to complete the application process," he said.
"We promised Rhode Islanders that we would pursue every resource to alleviate stress on our hospital system and support critical staffing needs," the governor continued.
The announcement came a day after the governor announced that about 60 members of the National Guard will be deployed to Butler Hospital, along with other measures to get new and students nurses onboarded quickly and into the health care facilities that need them.
Omicron COVID-19 surge in Rhode Island: Read more
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