All across the country we face a critical shortage of ventilators, which are life-saving breathing machines needed to treat the ever increasing numbers of people hit hard by the coronavirus. In addition, hot spots for the virus, like the Seattle area, the Bay Area, and New York City are currently facing shortages of protective gear (e.g., masks, gloves, booties, and gowns) essential to protecting the health of medical providers on the front line. It won’t do any good to have adequate ICU beds and ventilators if the staff needed to deploy these resources themselves become sick.
On March 18, after weeks of warnings from hospitals and other providers about looming shortages of ventilators and personal protective equipment, President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act. The 70-year-old Act gives the federal government powers to direct the production of critical supplies needed in a time of national emergency. However, the president is inexplicably reluctant to describe specifically how his government is planning to deploy its emergency powers, saying he wants to wait to see if government intervention is needed. As of this writing, the president has not announced any federal emergency measures to ensure rapid production of critical medical supplies and, importantly, rational distribution of these supplies to areas of greatest immediate need.
ACTION:
Tell lawmakers to keep the pressure on the administration to act now to increase the production and distribution of critical medical supplies.
Due to the representatives’ staff now working remotely, please email, rather than call, the representatives’ offices:
Senator Patty Murray: https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme
Senator Maria Cantwell: https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email/form
Representative Pramila Jayapal: https://jayapal.house.gov/contact/
Representative Adam Smith: https://adamsmith.house.gov/contact
Sample Comment: (Best to express your comment to lawmakers in your own words.)
Hello. My name is [NAME] and I live in [PLACE] in zip code [ZIP CODE]. I’m writing from the perspective of someone in a coronavirus “hot spot.” Right now things are getting desperate. Our area hospitals are having to scrounge for and reuse their protective gear; they are warning of impending shortages of ventilators and the real possibility of having to triage patients. Recently the president invoked the Defense Production Act, yet he has not given specific instructions on production of medical supplies and equipment that are desperately needed. Please do whatever you can to pressure the president and his coronavirus team to act immediately, using federal emergency powers to direct not only the production, but also the distribution of ventilators and other essential medical supplies to where they are most needed. Thank you.
Background:
https://time.com/5805557/homemade-medical-face-mask-shortage/
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/18/ppe-shortages-health-workers-afraid-scouring/
