The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending almost $1.2 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the additional costs of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,169,077 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the department for steps taken to protect the public at multiple bureaus, including the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences (BIDLS) in Jamaica Plain, and four public hospitals: Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain, Tewksbury Hospital, Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton and Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield.
Between February and July 2020, the department contracted for additional medical staff; the recommissioning of hospital oxygen and vacuum services; disinfection services at the hospital facilities; telephonic interpretation services for patient care; and mask fitting for healthcare workers.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 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.