Reardon urges governor to make public the number of medical supplies the state has and needs to combat COVID-19 pandemic
MUNSTER — State Representative Mara Candelaria Reardon (D-Munster) today sent a letter to Governor Holcomb urging him to make the number of various medical supplies, such as hospital beds and ventilators, available to state legislators and the public, and come up with a comprehensive plan to meet the needs of care for Hoosiers being treated for COVID-19.
A copy of the letter is available here. The text from the letter can be found below:
March 26, 2020
Dear Governor Holcomb,
I understand that we are in unprecedented times as we work together to face the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I do not understand why critical information about how prepared our hospitals and medical professionals are to handle the effects of this public health emergency is being withheld from members of the general assembly and the people we represent.
I urge you to:
- Share information about how many hospital beds, ventilators and other medical equipment the state currently has available for hospitals and other medical facilities. As a state legislator, I should know these numbers, and the constituents I represent deserve to know them, too.
- Share information about the medical equipment Indiana will need from the federal stockpile and other sources in order for medical professionals and hospitals to be as prepared as they can be to treat patients with COVID-19.
- Outline and make available a comprehensive plan for:
- Obtaining more medical equipment.
- Identifying hotels, sports arenas, shopping malls and other buildings that can be converted into temporary hospitals and treatment centers, if and when hospitals across the state reach capacity.
- Identifying the resources the state will need to have these temporary hospitals and treatment centers running as soon as possible.
At the very least, Hoosiers deserve to know how prepared the hospitals are to treat people with COVID-19. Please work quickly to make this information available to the public during your next daily briefing.
Sincerely,
Mara Candelaria Reardon
State Representative