Hospitals Say Feds Are Quietly Seizing Medical Supplies Across the Country

Hospital officials are claiming the federal government are quietly seizing medical supply orders amid the coronavirus crisis, an investigation from the Los Angeles Times revealed April 7.

Staff from hospitals in seven states told the LA Times that they haven’t received guidance on why the materials are being taken, where they are going, or when they can expect replacement orders, according to the report.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had not publicly addressed why medical supply orders are being acquired by the federal government, but a representative told the newspaper that “high-transmission areas were prioritized, and allocations were based on population, not on quantities requested.”

The FEMA representative said the agency has developed a system to distribute supplies equitably, echoing the Trump administration’s assertion that the federal government is taking a “data-driven” approach to medical supply dispersal.

President Donald Trump also enacted the Defense Production Act — a law that allows the president to call for ramped up production of certain materials during a national crisis — to boost production of ventilators in the country. (Read more from “Hospitals Say Feds Are Quietly Seizing Medical Supplies Across the Country” HERE)

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