DES MOINES - Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is sending $28 million in federal money to hospitals and local health departments.
The funding will be used to help with staffing needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iowa has experienced a sharp rise in hospitalizations from the virus since late September. Patients in ICU are also on the rise, and Iowa ranked 10th in the country in its death rate. The state does not appear to have a shortage of hospital beds as the current availability is nearly 34 percent.
The money comes from $1.25 billion the state is receiving from the federal CARES Act.
“As COVID-19 continues to impact Iowans, it is putting strain on both staffing at our hospitals as well as local public health departments,” Gov. Reynolds said. “These added funds will provide much-needed relief to hospitals to support their staffing needs in this critical time. They will also support Iowa’s county health departments, which are facing continued and ongoing increases in workload.”