The limiting factor for the response is not money, or even hospital beds

[Recursion]

We can print or confiscate money. That's not a problem. We can hastily manufacture or nationalize rooms with beds in them. That's not a problem.

The hard limit is that the country has about 2 million RNs, and no more. We can't print RNs, we can't commandeer RNs. It takes 6 years to make someone an RN, and we've been short even in normal times.

This is what will limit our possible response to COVID.

[uppityperson]

1. Did you know there is a possibility of a healthcare draft?

[EndlessWire]

9. Wut??

[uppityperson]

10. Here you go, selective service and a blog thing. Ages 20-45

https://www.sss.gov/About/Medical-Draft-in-Standby-Mode

The Health Care Personnel Delivery System (HCPDS) is a standby plan developed for the Selective Service System at the request of Congress. If needed it would be used to draft health care personnel in a crisis. It is designed to be implemented in connection with a national mobilization in an emergency, and then only if Congress and the President approve the plan and pass and sign legislation to enact it. No portion of the plan is designed for implementation in peacetime. If implemented, HCPDS would:

Provide a fair and equitable draft of doctors, nurses, medical technicians and those with certain other health care skills if, in some future emergency, the military’s existing medical capability proved insufficient and there is a shortage of volunteers.

Include women, unless directed otherwise by Congress and the President.

Draft a very small percentage of America’s health care providers into military service. Impact on the availability of civilian health care would be minimal. Those health-care workers whose absence would seriously hurt their communities would be deferred on the basis of community essentiality.

Begin a mass registration of male and female health care workers between the ages of 20 and 45. They would register at local post offices. HCPDS would provide medical personnel from a pool of 3.4 million doctors, nurses, specialists and allied health professionals in more than 60 fields of medicine.

Require minimal training for HCPDS draftees, because they are already skilled personnel.

https://hasbrouck.org/draft/health.html

Much will be up to Congress. Selective Service has complete standby plans for a medical draft that could start tomorrow, and has published regulations for how it could work. But it would need permission from Congress, and the authorizing legislation could require changes in the standby plans.

Congress could decide not to include women in the medical draft. But it will be hard to get enough nurses and other professionals in some of the desired specialities without drafting women. A health care workers' draft will most likely include women.

Congress could specify which occupations would be included. It will probably leave it up to the President, who will probably leave it up to the Pentagon. In 1986, when Congress last debated registration for a medical draft, the proposal allowed the President to designate for inclusion any "health-care occupations that are essential to the Armed Forces and in which personnel may not be available to meet the needs of the Armed Forces".

Selective Service says it is prepared to draft people "professionally qualified" in 57 medical and related specialties, including physicians, dentists, psychologists, therapists, dietitians, technicians, nurses, veterinarians, pharmacists, opticians, "other medical care and treatment personnel", and "miscellaneous allied specialists" such as "medical equipment repair". This list of "job categories" is on the last page of the proposed regulations, but the President, Congress, and/or the Selective Service System could change it, or could decide to draft only certain of these categories:

Physicians
Aerospace Medicine
Thoracic Surgery
Orthopedic Surgery
Anesthesiology
General Surgery
Neurosurgery
Urology
Otolarnygology
Psychiatry
Allergy
Neurology
Dermatology
Radiology
Colon-Rectal Surgery
Pathology
Ophthalmology
Internal Medicine
Emergency Medicine
Dentists
Oral Surgery
Prosthodontics
Periodontics
Endocrinology
General Dentistry
Miscellaneous Allied Specialists
Physiology
Entomology
Clinical Psychology
Medical Technology
Audiology/Speach Therapy
Environmental Health
Podiatry
Dietetics
Physical Therapy
Registered Nurses
Medical/Surgical Nursing
Surgical Nursing
Certified registered Nurse Anesthetist
Mental Health Nursing
Medical Care Technicians
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nursing and Other Medical Care and Treatment Personnel
Other Specialists/Technicians
Dental Laboratory
Medical Administration
Radiology
Respiratory Therapy
Medical Laboratory
Dental Assistance
Operating Room
Pharmacy
Dietetic
Medical Supply
Medical Equipment Repair
Psychiatric
Physical Therapy
Environmental Health
Orthopedic
Veterinary
Occupational Therapy
Optical
Opthalmology
Optometry

[RockRaven]

2. I think the limiting factor will be ventilators and other critical care infrastructure.

A typical largish hospital in this country has hundreds of nurses on staff, has several hundred beds in total, but only a couple dozen ICU beds.

[Recursion]

3. I think the workforce limit is going to kick in before that

An ICU doesn't help you if it's not staffed

[MadLinguist]

7. Ventilators for sure. Looks like Italy is already rationing

There are a few stories out already along these lines, but even unless somebody comes up with a cheap easy way to treat compromised lungs, the supply of ventilators is a bottleneck.
Here is one of the stories from Italy discussing the point:
https://www.brusselstimes.com/all-news/belgium-all-news/health/99412/coronavirus-we-must-choose-who-to-treat-says-italian-doctor-covid-19-christian-salaroli/

[tblue37]

12. It seems that production of needed supplies & equipment could be ramped up, but

of course companies who makes such things would focus on profits, unless a state of emergency were declared to force them go maximize production, and without price gouging.

[GulfCoast66]

13. No. If the demand is there they will produce as many as possible as fast as possible.

No need for any kind of decree. Companies that make things want to sell as many as possible. But ramping up production is not always a quick endeavor

And I doubt they are all made in the US.

[underpants]

4. Important perspective I haven't heard mentioned anywhere else

The gaps in our system are becoming glaring.

[meadowlander]

5. And the RNs we do have

Need to not being getting sick because dumbasses stole their PPE so they can wear it to the mall.

Also they need childcare when all the schools and day cares close.

[Pobeka]

6. That's why I posted this:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213065373

Because we can manage it to some degree. Every bit saves lives.

[uponit7771]

8. K&R, and that's if there's proper testing regime (which there's not) for mitigation !!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

11. Professional public education is also a huge limiting factor, along with....

many American's refusal to honor being to what to do.

I can see our nursing education program being forced into hyper-drive, with high pay having to be the incentive.

Thanks for the thread, Recursion.........