Catching up on all the crazy stuff my colleagues have been digging into this week. Like this dissection of the way the White House is steering huge no-bid contracts for COVID-19 response outside the normal procurement channels and won& #39;t explain why or how: https://www.propublica.org/article/the-white-house-pushed-fema-to-give-its-biggest-coronavirus-contract-to-a-company-that-never-had-to-bid">https://www.propublica.org/article/t...
More ER staffing companies owned by private equity billionaires are cutting pay for healthcare workers and now want bailout money separate and apart from the money flowing to hospitals, by @iarnsdorf https://www.propublica.org/article/medical-staffing-companies-owned-by-rich-investors-cut-doctor-pay-and-now-want-bailout-money">https://www.propublica.org/article/m...
The city of Laredo was so desperate for COVID-19 test kits that it jumped on an offer to get in on a shipment from China -- with the help of @RepCuellar -- that turned out to not be authorized by the FDA and were then seized by DHS, by @JinATX https://www.propublica.org/article/he-spent--500-000-to-buy-coronavirus-tests-health-officials-say-theyre-unreliable">https://www.propublica.org/article/h...
(Not that FDA authorization means what it used to mean, as @CarolineYLChen and I reported yesterday: https://www.propublica.org/article/coronavirus-tests-are-being-fast-tracked-by-the-fda-but-its-unclear-how-accurate-they-are">https://www.propublica.org/article/c... )
Thin staffing and PPE rationing are weakening the responsiveness of NYC hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, resulting in more deaths being discovered in the morning when more nurses clock in: https://www.propublica.org/article/rationing-protective-gear-means-checking-on-coronavirus-patients-less-often-this-can-be-deadly">https://www.propublica.org/article/r...