Obama declares flu emergency to ease restrictions for hospitals
Officials prepare for a surge in H1N1 cases
By Michael D. Shear and Rob Stein
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Article from the Washington Post
President Obama has declared H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, clearing the way for his health chief to give hospitals wider leeway in how they handle a possible surge of new patients, administration officials said Saturday.
The president granted Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius the power to lift some federal regulations for medical providers, including allowing hospitals to set up off-site facilities to increase the number of available beds and protect patients who are not infected.
Obama said in the declaration that the "rapid increase in illness . . . may overburden health-care resources." White House officials played down the dramatic language, saying the president's action did not stem from a new assessment of the dangers the flu poses to the public....
Complete article available at the Wshington Post.
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