As New York health care providers battle the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immediately award funds for hospitals and health care providers that were appropriated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Expediting this funding will help ensure New York’s hospitals and health care providers have the vital resources to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
New York’s health care infrastructure has been overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic; the state is now at the epicenter of the pandemic with over 75,000 cases. Hospitals have lost hundreds of millions of dollars and many of them only have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to last a few days.
“New York’s hospitals have become war zones and the financial strain is staggering,” said Senator Gillibrand. “They are in dire need of resources to fight this deadly virus and funding for our health care system must be prioritized for New York, which has quickly become the epicenter of this pandemic. It’s critical that the administration work much faster to provide funds to our hospitals and health care providers so they can save lives and combat the spread of coronavirus.”
The coronavirus emergency response package includes $100 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to ensure hospitals and health care providers have the adequate resources to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. Unfortunately, the administration has not moved quickly enough in allocating these vital funds to states hit the hardest by the outbreak of COVID-19, like New York. In an official letter signed by members of the New York and New Jersey delegation, Senator Gillibrand called on HHS to expedite awarding these crucial funds so that New York hospitals can prepare for the expected surge in the number of cases by building temporary medical sites, increasing workforce, and purchasing PPE and testing supplies.