Don Thompson, reporter, Sacramento, obtained data revealing that more than 85% of the 93,000 people who signed up for the California Health Corps either didn't have the required medical license or failed to fill out an application. Gov. Gavin Newsom had described the program as an army of volunteers to accommodate the expected massive surge of COVID-19 cases. Thompson found only about 5% of the sign-up total had been cleared to participate, and that 233 were being paid to staff an emergency hospital established in a vacant arena with no patients.
https://bit.ly/2WyP53K
https://bit.ly/3fkJvKV
Data: Most California health volunteers not eligible
Cots are set up at a potential COVID-19 treatment site in San Mateo, Calif., April 1, 2020. The National Guard was setting up the federal medical station with capacity up to 250 beds for overflow patients from hospitals. The state’s California Health Corps sought volunteers to help staff medical facilities during the crisis, but most of the volunteers were unlicensed, and others did not fill out an application.
AP Photo / Ben Margot