Trump Shifts Onus To Governors Amid Criticism About Lack Of Government Action Over Medical Supplies

Politico: ‘We’re Not A Shipping Clerk’: Trump Tells Governors To Step Up Efforts To Get Medical Supplies
President Donald Trump on Thursday put the onus on governors to obtain the critical equipment their states need to fight the coronavirus pandemic, telling reporters that the federal government is “not a shipping clerk” for the potentially life-saving supplies. Appearing at the daily press briefing of the White House coronavirus task force, the president defended his decision to invoke the Defense Production Act — which would allow the administration to direct U.S. industry to ramp up production of emergency medical provisions — without actually triggering the statute. (Forgey, 3/19)

The Associated Press: Trump Urges States To Do More As Hospitals Sound Alarms
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued guidance telling health care workers that if no masks are available, they could turn to “homemade” options “(e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort.” But Trump insisted against the evidence Thursday that there are more than enough supplies available to meet needs. And he said that it was up to states to obtain them. While willing to “help out wherever we can,” he said “governors are supposed to be doing a lot of this work.” “The federal government’s not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping,” Trump said. “You know, we’re not a shipping clerk.” (3/20)

The Washington Post: Change In U.S. Law Will Make Millions More Masks Available To Doctors And Nurses, White House Says
Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that new legislation will allow tens of millions more protective masks to reach U.S. healthcare workers each month, beginning immediately, but it was still unclear whether total production will be enough to meet demand. New legislation signed Wednesday provides manufacturers of N95 face masks protection against lawsuits when selling certain masks to healthcare workers, Pence said. That will free producers including 3M and Honeywell to sell tens of millions more masks per month to hospitals, Pence said, helping alleviate alarming shortages that have surfaced in recent weeks amid the coronavirus crisis. (Whalen, 3/19)

ABC News: Amid Shortage, Pence Says Millions Of Masks Available 'Now' For Hospitals To Buy 
When asked when the masks would be ready, Pence said, "3M is increasing their output to 420 million a year. At production in January, they made 35 million per month at that facility." "And we are prioritizing the distribution of those, but the other thing -- and we'll emphasize this with governors this afternoon -- is we are working with governors to make sure that health care providers, the hospitals, and the clinics in their state are placing orders now that this tremendous increase in supply, particularly with industrial masks, is now available," he added. (Tatum, 3/19)

ABC News: Automakers Offer To Build Ventilators As US Faces Critical Shortage
Two U.S. automakers could soon reopen their idled factories and call back workers to manufacture what America desperately needs now: lifesaving ventilator machines. As the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases continues to increase exponentially around the globe, U.S. hospitals and elected officials are warning government officials that these machines are in short supply. (Korn, 3/19)

NPR: Automakers Might Retool To Make Ventilators To Help Ease Shortage
It's not clear how long it would take for the car companies to reinvent themselves as massive medical suppliers, but Ford and General Motors have been in discussions with the White House about the possibility. The United Kingdom has also asked automakers and other manufacturers to help meet the need for essential medical equipment. (Domonoske, 3/19)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: GE Healthcare Making Ventilators In Response To Coronavirus Crisis
GE Healthcare said it has increased its manufacturing capacity of ventilators, which it makes in Madison, and other equipment in response to the coronavirus crisis.A potential shortage of ventilators for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, is one of the most serious vulnerabilities in the U.S. health care system.An estimated 5% of COVID-19 patients become seriously ill and about half of them require ventilators. (Boulton, 3/19)

The Hill: Frustration Mounts At Trump's Reluctance To Use Emergency Production Powers 
Frustration is mounting at President Trump's reluctance to use emergency war powers to accelerate the production of medical supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Less than three months into the pandemic, hospitals, health workers and state and local officials have said they are quickly running out of personal protective equipment like masks, gowns and gloves that are crucial to keeping doctors and nurses on the front lines of the pandemic safe. (Weixel, 3/19)

The New York Times: ‘Chilling’ Plans: Who Gets Care When Washington State Hospitals Reach Their Max?
Medical leaders in Washington State, which has the highest number of coronavirus deaths in the country, have quietly begun preparing a bleak triage strategy to determine which patients may have to be denied complete medical care in the event that the health system becomes overwhelmed by the coronavirus in the coming weeks. Fearing a critical shortage of supplies, including the ventilators needed to help the most seriously ill patients breathe, state officials and hospital leaders held a conference call on Wednesday night to discuss the plans, according to several people involved in the talks. The triage document, still under consideration, will assess factors such as age, health and likelihood of survival in determining who will get access to full care and who will merely be provided comfort care, with the expectation that they will die. (Weise and Baker, 3/20)

Los Angeles Times: Ethical Dilemmas In The Age Of Coronavirus: Whose Lives Should We Save?
Three patients — a 16-year-old boy with diabetes, a 25-year-old mother and a 75-year-old grandfather — are crammed into a hospital triage tent and struggling to breathe. Only one ventilator is left. Who gets it? This is the kind of wrenching ethical dilemma that critical-care doctors, nurses and medical officials across the United States are bracing for as cases of coronavirus surge and hospitals become overwhelmed. (Jarvie, 3/19)

ABC News: As COVID-19 Bears Down, Doctors Confront Difficult Choices On Elective Surgeries 
Doctors told ABC News they are suddenly confronting some very tough decisions -- having to decide whether to proceed or postpone prostate surgeries, colonoscopies, skin cancer removals and a range of other procedures that could mean life or death for their patients, but could also create stress on hospitals bracing for a deluge. "It's hard to know exactly what an elective visit is," said Dr. Noah Lindenberg, an oncologist in Marlton, New Jersey. (Alesse, Dukakis, Tatum and Mosk, 3/20)

In other hospital news —

USA Today: Carnival Offers Up Cruise Ships As Floating Hospitals Amid Coronavirus Crisis
One of the nation's largest cruise operators is offering up its ships as part of the effort to quell the coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump said Thursday. Carnival said it will offer select ships for use in response to the crisis. The company explained in a Thursday news release the ships would not be used for treating those with coronavirus or who are under quarantine. Rather, they are being made available for patients being treated for normal hospital stays – those recovering from surgeries or alike. (Woodyard and Hines, 3/19)

Crain's Chicago Business: Potential Relief Valve For Acute-Care Hospitals: Specialty Facilities
Providers such as Cancer Treatment Centers of America say they're able to lessen the burden during the coronavirus pandemic. Amid concerns that hospitals on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic will be overwhelmed, specialty hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and other health care settings may be enlisted to take on patients who aren't infected. (Asplund, 3/19)

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Putting Bond Issues On Hold Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
A number of not-for-profit health systems have postponed sizable new bond issuances given the significant uncertainty COVID-19 has thrown into the municipal bond market.It's not just healthcare—the trend is happening across the municipal market. Volatility has prompted interest rates to skyrocket and has made pricing bond offerings extremely difficult. Billions in new issuances have been put on hold since last week. (Bannow, 3/19)

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Poses Long-Term Impact To Not-For-Profit Hospitals
Not-for-profit hospitals will feel the financial impact of the COVID-19 long after the pandemic subsides, according to a new report. A myriad of short- and long-term factors will buffet hospitals as they scramble to deal with a surge of patients infected with COVID-19, Moody's Investors Service analysts project as they adjust not-for-profits' outlook from stable to negative. (Kacik, 3/19)