Congressman Kim Holds Coronavirus Update Call with Senior Community Leaders

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) convened a call of senior community leaders across Burlington and Ocean Counties to provide an update on federal efforts to contain the Coronavirus outbreak and hear local concerns to help shape further Congressional actions.

“I want to thank our frontline health care and senior leaders for taking time to provide an update on their efforts in New Jersey, and their thoughts on how we can best work together to keep people safe and save lives,” said Congressman Kim. “The concerns I heard from our local leaders need to be addressed, and they deserve solutions now. I’ll be working with my colleagues in the House and with state and local officials to ensure our health care and senior care professionals have the resources and guidance they need to contain and end this crisis.”

Some of the top concerns shared on the call include:

• The need for more critical medical supplies. One senior health care community leader expressed concerns about an 8-12 week back order for gloves and masks.
• The need for more testing capacity and faster test results.
• Potential disruption of programs that directly help food insecure seniors, such as Meals on Wheels.
• Home health care patients who are hesitant to receive care.
• Being sensitive to visitor needs, while also protecting the health and safety of patients and healthcare staff.

In the past weeks, Congressman Kim and his office have coordinated communications with leaders from major hospital systems and health departments across Ocean and Burlington Counties to hear their concerns about the Coronavirus and ensure they have the resources and support needed to keep us safe. Earlier this month, the Congressman voted to pass emergency funding to help respond to the outbreak crisis. Information about the funding passed in the supplemental package can be found here.

Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Small Business. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clicking here.

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