Letter to Mark Esper, Secretary of Defense - Rep. Calvert Urges Deployment of Usns Mercy to Port of Los Angeles

Letter

Dear Secretary Esper,

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic requires a whole-of-government response and I was pleased to hear
that the Department of Defense would be sending two naval hospital ships, the USNS Mercy and the
USNS Comfort, to U.S. ports to help relieve our medical system. I am requesting that the USNS Mercy,
currently based in San Diego, CA, be stationed at the Port of Los Angeles through at least September 1,
2020.
As you are aware, California has been one of the states hit hardest by COVID-19 and from what we know
of the virus, cases will most likely exponentially increase over the next few weeks. Right now, the State
of California is under mandatory restrictions on leaving the house. Even so, without assistance, the
impacts the virus will have on our health care system will be dire.
With approximately ten million people in the greater Los Angeles area, the deployment of the USNS
Mercy will provide desperately needed relief for our medical system in the Los Angeles area. The 1000
patient beds, and the associated care, on the USNS Mercy, which could be deployed as quickly as five
days, would provide critical overflow capacity for non-COVID-L9 related illnesses'
Thank you for your leadership in this global pandemic. The men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces
continue to make all Americans proud and I look forward to your prompt reply.

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