MCCORDSVILLE, Ind. — With COVID-19 cases on the rise in Florida, hospitals are asking for support.
And a nurse from McCordsville is among the health care workers from across the country answering the call.
“I start Monday,” said Tracy Ball, a registered nurse who will begin filling shifts for intensive care units in a hospital group in the Clearwater area.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the state’s Department of Emergency Management signed $379 million in purchase orders last month to provide reinforcements to “hospital staff facing burnout."
"Friends working in other areas of Florida have been very surprised and overwhelmed by the difficult task at hand,” Ball said.
So why go?
“I wanted to do it the last time the surge was around, but the hospital where I was working had needs of its own, so I didn't want to abandon them,” Ball said, adding that now is the time. “Knowing that I was well equipped emotionally, spiritually and professionally to do it, I felt like I should answer the call and go help other places."
Ball said she has committed to her current assignment for as many as eight weeks.