As local hospitals grapple with overwhelmed emergency rooms and intensive care units due to the COVID pandemic, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has proposed a $30 million plan to bring in more assistance.

The funds would be used to hire hundreds of nurses for hospitals across the county in an effort to bring relief to medical workers on the frontlines.

Hidalgo said that the sooner the plan is approved, the sooner the county can draft up a contract and begin negotiations with SETRAC, the agency that will be coordinating the new staff. The nurses will be sent to both private and public hospitals in the region.

"Harris County and SETRAC will work to ensure that these nurses come from outside our region, so we're not just taking nurses from one hospital and putting them in another hospital," the judge said.

Hidalgo made sure the plan was the first item on the agenda during the commissioner's court meeting Tuesday morning. Commissioners voted in favor of the proposal.

During the deliberation, questions were presented, primarily from commissioners R. Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey, over the details of the contract with hospitals, coordinating agencies and the county.

Ideally, the county would be reimbursed through FEMA for covering the upfront expenses of providing extra nurses.

The judge anticipates having additional nurses coming to the area within the next three days.

According to Hidalgo, the biggest problem facing local hospitals isn't space but staffing. Harris County has already requested additional medical staff from the state and the federal government, she said.

"We've received some nurses from the state. Very helpful. But not enough," Hidalgo said.

The proposed $30 million is the maximum amount that has been projected for the plan. Hidalgo said it's her hope the county doesn't use the entire budget.

"We do not anticipate this entire amount will be needed, and we'll work to keep the total expenditures as low as possible," Hidalgo said.

Hidalgo confirmed the county and local hospital leaders have been in conversation about opening the hospital at NRG, but the judge said the most urgent need is staffing and increasing vaccination rates.

The news comes after it was announced the team at NRG will be relocated to Dick Graves Park on Reed Road, just off Highway 288. The NRG site is scheduled to close Wednesday, and the Dick Graves Park site will open Thursday. Hidalgo said there should be no pause in service during the transition.