In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, President Trump declared a national emergency on March 13 to activate federal assistance and provide financial relief to hospitals and other healthcare organizations based on the Stafford Act.
This act allows the federal government to provide COVID-19 funding to state and local governments so they can provide help to offset increased expenses while hospitals provide care to COVID-19 patients.
It also allows the Trump administration to activate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist state and local governments in the following ways:
– Provide up to $50 billion to states to combat COVID-19
– Allow states to request 75% federal cost-share for COVID-19 related expenses. This requires execution of a FEMA-state agreement. Local governments can apply through their respective states.
– No duplicate assistance for services provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
– Below is a summary of eligible assistance, with a more detailed list of eligible assistance available at FEMA.gov
•Management, control and reduction of immediate threats to public health and safety
•Emergency medical care
•Use of specialized equipment
•Medical waste disposal
•Emergency medical transport
•Medical sheltering
Angelo Pirozzi
Partner- Healthcare Center for Excellence & Innovation
646-520-2870 (Direct) 305-2870 (Internal)
516-398-2389 (Mobile)
apirozzi@bdo.com
