By KTAR.COM
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is hoping to see the state’s National Guard activated to help alleviate stress on hospitals created by the surge of the omicron variant of COVID-19.
Kelly and senior Sen. Kyrsten Sinema wrote Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday making the request to deploy the Guard per recent authorization from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“The offer is place until April. … He’ll have to make a decision on it, but it’s 100% reimbursable from the federal government,” Kelly told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Wednesday.
“As a state, we should take advantage of it.”
The letter reads: “Hospital systems, health care facilities, and those caring for Arizona’s most vulnerable populations are suffering from severe staffing shortages. This endangers their ability to care for Arizonans, worsening people’s health outcomes, increasing costs, and putting lives and livelihoods at risk.”
