Howard County has committed $2.4 million in American Rescue Plan funds to two healthcare organizations to address staffing needs amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, County Executive Calvin Ball announced last week.
The county allocated $2 million to Howard County General Hospital and $400,000 to the Howard County Health Department.
The announcement comes as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to climb and medical staff face burnout and stress.
The number of Marylanders hospitalized for COVID reached 3,364 on Monday, according to the health department.
At Howard County General Hospital, the number of patients hospitalized for COVID increased by 411% from mid-December to early January.
The hospital currently has 63 COVID patients in acute care and in the ICU, compared to 7 patients one month ago.
“This latest COVID-19 surge caused by variants is overwhelming, and our healthcare workers, those on the frontlines, our EMS and paramedics are exhausted,” Ball said in a statement Friday.
“During this pandemic – they’ve been asked again and again to step up, sacrificing their time, energy, and health for our community,” he said.
“It is paramount that we invest in our healthcare workers, and our public health system, to retain our frontline employees and support them through this crisis,” he added.
The Howard County Health Department will use the $400,000 to retain the staff needed to continue to set up testing, contact tracing, and vaccination clinics.
