Hahn Writes to Governor Newsom Requesting Additional Healthcare Workers and USNS Mercy Hospital Ship

San Pedro, CA—Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has written a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom supporting SEIU 721’s request for additional healthcare workers in Los Angeles County hospitals in response to the surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Hahn is also requesting that Governor 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. They need backup,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “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 supporting SEIU 721’s request for Army National Guard medical personnel, specifically additional registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and respiratory care practitioners, to be sent to Los Angeles 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.