Auburn Community Hospital will receive over $2.2 million from the federal government to cover costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic response, announced U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a joint statement on Thursday.
The hospital will receive $2,225,597 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The money will cover costs related to emergency protective measures taken by the hospital since the start of the COVID pandemic in spring 2020.
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FEMA funds come after $3.4 million in ARPA funds secured last week
Sen. Schumer announced last week that Auburn Community Hospital would receive over $3.4 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan’s (ARPA) pandemic Provider Relief Fund for rural hospitals.
Schumer and Gillibrand said today’s funding and the money secured last week “will give Auburn the resources it needs to combat the recent spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Auburn, cover rising costs, and continue to keep Central New York safe,” according to a press release.
“As the only hospital in Cayuga County, Auburn Community Hospital heroically stepped up by increasing spending, while experiencing significant revenue loss, and working ceaselessly to help our rural communities beat back this virus for over two years,” said Schumer. “That is why I fought tooth and nail to deliver their long overdue rural hospital funding from the American Rescue Plan last week, and why I am proud to announce this additional $2.2 million in support from FEMA to help the hospital recover and continue to keep our communities safe.”
“Health care providers lost billions of dollars during the pandemic,” said Gillibrand. “This federal support will help ensure that Auburn Community Hospital can maintain staffing levels, provide PPE, and continue to keep Cayuga County safe as we encounter and fight new variants of COVID-19. I will keep working to ensure that New York medical facilities have the resources they need to continue to provide quality care to every New Yorker.”
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