The American Ambulance Association (AAA) wrote in a November letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that the emergency response system is near a ‘breaking point’ and in need of more funding, according to The Hill.
President of the AAA, Aaron Reinert, wrote in the letter that, “Without additional relief, it seems likely to break, even as we enter the third surge of the virus in the Mid-West and West”. They also told HHS officials that more funding was needed in order for ambulance operators to continue offering the same services, reported The Hill.
The AAA asked for $2.6 billion of federal funds in order to meet the overwhelming demand caused by the pandemic, according to The Hill. Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus are at an all-time high with over 100,000 admissions, reported CNN. (RELATED: Covid-19 Hospitalizations Reach Record High In The US)
First responders load a patient into an ambulance from a nursing home where multiple people have contracted COID-19 on April 17, 2020 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
CEO of the AAA, Maria Bianchi, stated that the federal funds would give every ambulance in the United States an additional $43,500 to help with equipment, according to CNN. (RELATED: Moderna Asks FDA For Emergency Approval Of Covid-19 Vaccine, Second Company To Pass Milestone)
“America’s ambulance services provide skilled, on-demand health care round-the-clock to every family in our nation, despite soaring costs and decreased revenue driven by the Covid-19 pandemic…These financial challenges are exacerbated by staffing shortages as EMTs and paramedics quarantine after exposure to or infection by coronavirus“, said Reinert, according to NBC.