Schumer, Gillibrand announce over $680 million in additional emergency federal funding for "Hot Spot' New York hospitals

Statement

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced today that 86 New York hospitals will receive more than $680 million of a new $10 billion allocation designated for "hot spot' hospitals. Schumer has been pushing the Trump administration in recent weeks to quickly allocate the health money, which was secured as part of the CARES Act. The Senators explained that the funding announced today builds upon the $4.3 billion announced in April for New York's "hot spot' hospitals and providers.

"New York's hospitals have made incredible sacrifices throughout this pandemic, putting public health above profit and working ceaselessly to help New York beat back the virus and flatten the curve," said Senator Schumer. "New York and its hospitals have been amongst the hardest hit in the nation, and with this funding going out, the continuing frontline fight being waged by our health care system and its incredible workforce will receive the hot spot dollars they need, and so very much deserve, to keep saving lives."

"Health care workers have risked their lives and fought tirelessly to keep New Yorkers safe during this outbreak," said Senator Gillibrand. "This critical federal funding will help provide health centers with the resources needed to treat patients and save lives. I will continue fighting in the Senate for the funding needed to ensure everyone has access to quality health care during these unprecedented times."

In pushing the administration to move on these hot spot funds, Schumer had said, "across the state of New York, hospitals and health systems report that they are losing hundreds of millions of dollars per month because of cancelled elective procedures, increased staffing and overtime costs, expanded bed capacity, and increased spending on supplies and equipment to meet the surge in COVID-19 patients. The strain on hospitals and health systems is felt even more acutely in regions like the New York metropolitan area where the bulk of COVID-19 patients are being treated at this time. These costs obviously do not exist evenly across the country, and it is therefore crucial that subsequent rounds of funding provide an adjustment for hot spots like New York."

Schumer was the lead author and architect of the "Marshall Plan for Healthcare', in the CARES Act, securing hundreds of billions of dollars in support and relief for the health care system. The funding announced today will provide grants for 86 hospitals across New York to cover unreimbursed health care related expenses or lost revenues attributable to the public health emergency resulting from the coronavirus.

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