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Thousands Of EMT's Can Now Work In LA Nursing Homes Hit By Coronavirus
More than 50 ambulances took patients from the Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center to other facilities on April 8, 2020. (Screenshot of video from Riverside University Health System)
It seems absurd: thousands of health care workers are without jobs in the middle of a pandemic. But a new rule from L.A. County health officials aims to put some of them back to work, filling in the staffing gaps created by COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes.
Nursing homes have become epicenters of coronavirus outbreaks in Southern California. And it’s not just residents getting sick — thousands of health care workers and first responders have contracted the disease.
The new rule change by L.A. County health officials allows many furloughed and out-of-work paramedics and EMT's to perform procedures they normally wouldn’t be able to under their scope of practice, with the goal of getting them into hard-hit nursing homes.
READ THE FULL STORY:
MORE ON THE CORONAVIRUS AND NURSING HOMES
- OC Nursing Homes Are Latest Coronavirus Hot Spot
- COVID-Plagued California Nursing Homes Often Had Problems In Past
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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