Rome Memorial Hospital – Which Has Been Serving CNY Patients Since 1884 –Heroically Provided Medical Staff To Help With Increased Patient Loads, Severity And Length Of Stay During COVID Outbreak
Senators Say New FEMA Funding – At A 100% Federal Cost Share – Will Reimburse Hospital For Costs Related to Pandemic Response
Schumer, Gillibrand: Federal $$$ Will Help Rome Hospital Recover From Economic Impacts Of COVID-19 Pandemic And Keep Up Lifesaving Care
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced a total of $4,314,895 for Rome Memorial Hospital from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover costs associated with the hospital’s COVID responses. The funds reimburse the hospital for expenses related to temporary medical staffing to support a substantial increase in patient load, increased severity and length of stay, and backfill of employees moved to COVID-19 care units. This will help cover the cost of temporary staff hired at the height of the pandemic including registered nurses for medical care of COVID-19 patients in the Emergency Department, Medical/Surgical Department, and ICU. This funding is provided at a 100% federal cost share, which Schumer fought hard to include for NY since the pandemic began.
“During a time of crisis, Rome Memorial Hospital heroically stepped up to fight the pandemic on the front lines and provide lifesaving care to Covid-19 patients in and around Oneida County,” said Senator Schumer. “RMH stepped up to hire the additional registered nurses needed to support the increased load of patients, ripping holes in their budget while experiencing significant revenue losses, and undoubtedly saving lives. That is why I am proud to deliver this over $4 million federal boost to help reimburse those expenses and ensure that Rome Memorial Hospital has the resources it needs to bounce back from the pandemic and continue to provide critical care to CNY residents.”
“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the staff at Rome Memorial Hospital provided lifesaving care for patients in Oneida County,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This funding will help reimburse the hospital for pandemic-related costs and allow it to continue saving lives. I will continue to fight for funding to ensure that New York’s hospitals have the resources they need to care for patients.”
“I applaud today’s announcement of over $4 million in FEMA funding for Rome Health. I saw first hand the hard work of their staff, nurses, doctors and administrators in responding every day to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their heroic efforts saved many lives in this community. This funding will address the real financial costs to increased patient loads and severity of length of stay prevalent during the pandemic. I thank Senator Schumer for making this funding to Rome Health possible and his ongoing commitment to quality healthcare,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente.
“Rome Health is grateful for Senator Schumer’s and Senator Gillibrand’s advocacy to provide federal reimbursement for the increased staffing costs we incurred to care for our community during the pandemic,” said Rome Health President/CEO AnneMarie Czyz. “Because of the dedication of our colleagues, Rome Health exceeded the community’s expectations to maintain access to the full breadth of healthcare services throughout the pandemic. The FEMA dollars will help offset the losses incurred as a result of the high cost of supplemental agency staff to preserve that access.”
“I would like to thank Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their efforts to secure almost $4.4M in FEMA reimbursement for Rome Memorial Hospital. In a time of extreme crisis, Rome Health never missed a beat changing their entire healthcare response to one of fighting a single virus which was ravaging our city. Our dedicated healthcare professionals provided lifesaving care at great expense to the hospital’s operating budget. Our city is very fortunate to have a highly functioning healthcare system with emergency room and intensive care services available to our residents, and this reimbursement will go a long way to stabilizing the hospital’s finances,” said Mayor Jacqueline M. Izzo.
Today’s funding is in addition to the $2.5 million in ‘hot spot’ funding the senators announced for Rome Memorial Hospital in 2020 to help cover the hundreds of millions of dollars per month the hospital was losing 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.