AFTER SECURING $100 BILLION MARSHALL PLAN FOR HEALTH CARE IN EMERGENCY PACKAGE, SCHUMER, IN DIRECT CALL TO HHS SECRETARY ALEX AZAR, DEMANDS IMMEDIATE GUIDANCE FOR PROGRAM & RELEASE OF DESPERATELY NEEDED FUNDS TO UPSTATE NEW YORK HOSPITALS & COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS ON THE FRONTLINES OF COMBATTING CORONAVIRUS
As Coronavirus Continues To Spread Throughout New York, Upstate Hospitals Are Increasingly Overwhelmed And Desperately Seeking Federal Aid; Funding Can Be Used For Beds, Retrofitting Facilities, Surge Capacity, and More
As The Champion Of $100B Marshall Plan For Healthcare, Schumer Calls Sec. Azar & Demands Plan Be Enacted Immediately & Relief Sent to NY ASAP
Schumer to HHS: I Fought For $100B Fund To Help NY Hospitals, Clinics, & Health Centers – It’s Time To Put That $ To Work!
Following last week’s passage of the bipartisan “Corona 3” legislation, which included a Schumer-led push to include a $100 billion Marshall plan fund for local hospitals, community health centers, and other providers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer spoke directly with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar on Wednesday, urging him to quickly issue regulations to health care providers to receive funding and, more importantly, release the desperately needed funds with all due speed.
According to Schumer, although HHS is currently working to get the grant program up and running, the extraordinary circumstances and the rate of cases rapidly increasing each day throughout New York state requires an immediate response and an influx of federal aid to New York hospitals as soon as possible.
“On my call with Secretary Azar yesterday, I made it crystal clear that although I was proud to secure a new and desperately needed $100 billion grant program available to all upstate New York health care providers – including hospitals, community health centers, nursing homes – it is imperative we immediately put it to use,” said Senator Schumer. “No corner of the state has been spared from the spread of this virus and any delay in implementation and distribution of these vital federal dollars can literally be life or death. I will not rest until New York has any and all available resources from the federal government and until we win this battle against coronavirus.”
Schumer also urged for HHS to put out guidance on how healthcare organizations could apply to the grant program in the coming days, saying that the lack of information means that health care organizations cannot count on the funding when planning their coronavirus response. He also stressed the need for paid sick leave for health workers, who may be exempted from the paid sick leave policies in the past bill. Schumer explained that with these frontline workers getting sick, tremendous pressure is being placed on already-stretched-thin hospitals to both fully staff their operations and treat their employees right.
Schumer’s Marshall Plan for Health Care was included as a flagship item in the ‘Corona 3’ stimulus package that the Senator was instrumental in negotiating. A major priority during negotiations, the Marshall Plan created a new $100 billion grant program available to all health care providers, including hospitals, community health centers, nursing homes and more. This funding can be used for personal and protective equipment for health care workers, testing supplies, increased workforce and training, new construction to house patients, emergency operation centers and more. Additionally, there are roughly $50 billion in new appropriations and Medicare payment increases that support public health initiatives and ensure hospitals and doctors have the resources they need.
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