Six California hospitals have asked for hundreds of more workers to help them fight COVID-19 in a state that recently exceeded New York's case count, The Bakersfield Californian reported.
Adventist Health Bakersfield, Kern Medical, Bakersfield Heart Hospital, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, Mercy Downtown and Mercy Southwest, all in Bakersfield, Calif., all had filed requests for more workers by the afternoon of July 21 with Kern County Public Health Services, according to the newspaper.
Matt Constantine, director of Kern County Public Health Services, said he did not have a total number of requested staff to provide the Californian, but "it will be several hundred, if not more."
The hospitals' requests will be filled from a regional network through the state office of emergency services or by the state.
The requests come as California confirmed 421,286 COVID-19 cases as of 8 a.m. CDT July 23, more than any other state, including New York, according to Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 dashboard.
Hospital officials told the Californian the additional staff will help meet expected need for the coming weeks.
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