(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) joined the full Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Andy Harris, M.D., Anthony G. Brown, and David Trone, in writing to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) asking for immediate approval of Governor Larry Hogan’s request for two federal medical stations in Baltimore. These units would increase Maryland’s hospital capacity by 300 beds and add approximately 1,096 ventilators, which would help mitigate the expected patient surge from the increasing number of local COVID-19 cases.

 “Maryland is actively planning, preparing and operating off of several models led by Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Hospital and the University of Maryland. These models project a significant surge in infections in the state over the next few months, even after taking several actions and interventions to combat the spread of COVID-19,” the lawmakers wrote. “While Maryland is quickly moving to stand up additional sites in existing facilities, hospitals and clinics, the gap in available beds will still exist and requires immediate federal assistance.”

The full letter can be found at this link.

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