The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $13.4 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse Tufts Medical Center for the increased cost of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $13,370,543 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the teaching hospital in Boston affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine for steps taken to protect the health of its work force, patients and the general public between March and August 2020.
The expenses incurred included purchasing additional medical equipment and supplies for the treatment of COVID-19 patients; hiring additional medical care staff and supporting services; purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfection services and supplies; and the cost of converting some hospital facility space into treatment areas, including negative-pressure intensive care units (ICUs).
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Tufts Medical Center with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
So far, FEMA has provided more than $1.2 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.
Original source can be found here.
