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 December 16, 2021

Arizona rural hospitals asking feds for COVID-19 staffing

The state Department of Health Services put in requests for medical staffing for at least seven rural hospitals.
by Associated Press

360 banner covid A handout image from Banner Health shows a health care worker in one of the hospital's COVID-19 units.
Banner Health

The growing strain on Arizona hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients has prompted an urgent request for help from the federal government.

The state Department of Health Services put in requests for medical staffing for at least seven rural hospitals, local news outlets reported Thursday.

Hospitals in cities like Yuma, Douglas and Sierra Vista are in need of nurses for COVID-19 and emergency room patients, according to an official request form.

Arizona’s larger hospital chains have already sounded the alarm this week about being overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, the state reported 2,911 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 20 additional deaths.

Arizona has now seen 1,326,908 cases and 23,344 deaths since the pandemic started.


Credit: Nick O'Gara/AZPM. Sources: The New York Times, based on reports from state and local health agencies, Census Bureau. Case reports do not correspond to day of test.

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