New York City hospitals will 'go broke' from the coronavirus crisis unless the federal government steps in to help, says Mayor Bill de Blasio
- Mayor Bill de Blasio implored the federal government to help New York City, announcing on "Fox and Friends" that hospitals will otherwise "start to go broke."
- The mayor expressed support for a $2 trillion to American workers and businesses being negotiated in Congress.
- On Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered that medical centers across the state cannot conduct elective surgeries. The move, which will free up hospital beds, could also negatively impact profit margins.
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At the epicenter of the American coronavirus crisis, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is sounding the alarm: The federal government must intervene, or hospitals will run out of money.
"Our hospitals, bluntly, are going to start to go broke," he said on "Fox and Friends" Tuesday.
To date, there are nearly 15,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, across the five boroughs, and at least 125 deaths.
De Blasio implored federal officials to immediately assist the city in maintaining hospitals, which are already overburdened.
"We gotta shore up those hospitals," he said. "All partisanship aside, what's being talked about now in the stimulus bill is crucial: direct support for public and private hospitals because many cannot pay the bills."
The Senate, according to news reports, is close to passing the stimulus bill, an expected $2 trillion aid package for American workers and businesses. The Federal Reserve recently injected $2 trillion into the markets to keep them moving. Workers, many of whom are unable to work, have not received financial assistance.
De Blasio thanked President Donald Trump for expediting 400 ventilators to the city and said more must be done. He said New York City is still desperately short on medical equipment and needs some 15,000 ventilators in total.
"Our hospitals in a matter of days or weeks, depending on the hospitals, are going to be stressed to the point that they cannot provide the kind of health care we're used to unless we can get them a huge resupply of equipment, supplies, personnel," he said.
On Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo barred hospitals across the state from conducting elective surgeries, in preparation for a protracted surge in COVID-19 patients.
The move will free up space, but it threatens medical centers' economic viability since elective surgeries are "profit drivers" for many hospitals.
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