TUCSON, Ariz. – Today, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell urging the approval of any pending Arizona hospital requests for federal aid.

In the letter, Rep. Grijalva notes the startling state of Arizona hospitals:
 

“According to the largest hospital network in Arizona, “in-patient volumes are at their highest level since the start of the pandemic”. As you know, hospital capacity issues are likely to continue in the near term as we converge with flu season.  Our overwhelmed hospitals once again do not have the staff to keep up with the pace of COVID-19 patients flooding the systems causing delays and potentially leading to rationing throughout the continuum of care.

Hospitals are reporting that upwards of 90 percent of COVID-19 patients in Arizona Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are unvaccinated, and while I disagree with Governor Ducey’s efforts to undermine vaccine requirements, I support all requests to provide immediate federal assistance to our hospitals to save lives.”

The full letter can be found here.