Volunteer Health Corps in CA Dwindles

FILE— In this April 18, 2020 file photo Robert Reynolds, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, moves a bed into position as work is performed to turn Sleep Train Arena into a 400-bed emergency field hospital to help deal with the coronavirus outbreak, in Sacramento, Calif. The state has reopened the arena, which had handled only nine patients over 10 weeks, and other facilities to help handle a new surge of coronavirus patients, but is using little more than a handful of volunteers from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Health Corps who originally helped staff the facility. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) Very few volunteers actually met qualifications By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California desperately needs more medical workers at facilities swamped by coronavirus patients, but almost no help is coming from a volunteer program that Gov. Gavin Newsom created at the start of the pandemic. An army of 95,000 initially raised their hands, and just 14 are now working in the field. Very few volunteers actually met qualifications for the California Health Corps, and only a tiny sliver have the high-level experience needed to help with the most serious virus cases that are stretching intensive care units to the limit. “Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out, and the goal is laudable,” said Stephanie Roberson, government relations director for the California Nurses Association. Newsom formed the Healt...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: AP News Coronavirus California Source Type: news