SCHUMER REVEALS: STANDING WITH DOCTORS & FRONTLINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS, OVER $17 MILLION COMING TO OTSEGO COUNTY’S BASSETT HEALTHCARE NETWORK THANKS TO PROVISION HE SECURED IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
Schumer Worked Tirelessly To Secure Federal COVID Relief For Hard-Hit Hospitals And Healthcare Systems Like Bassett In The Southern Tier & Mohawk Valley To Keep Communities Safe During Pandemic
Schumer-Authored Provision Delivers Major Relief After Hospitals Incurred Significant Costs Providing Vital Patient Services
Schumer: We Must Help Bassett Recover & Build Back Stronger!
Standing at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer revealed that he helped secure $17,475,512.79 in federal COVID-19 relief funding for Bassett through a provision he secured in the American Rescue Plan. This brings the total amount Schumer secured through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Bassett’s recovery to $23,859,855.80.
The senator said the funding will cover costs associated with emergency protective measures and increased staffing, including equipment, medical supplies, and temporary staffing for their COVID responses dating back to the start of the pandemic in Spring 2020. Schumer fought hard to ensure that FEMA would deliver federal COVID-19 relief to New York’s hospitals as one of his first major acts as Majority Leader when passing the American Rescue Plan.
“Heroic frontline workers at Bassett Medical Center and throughout Bassett Healthcare Network worked around the clock during the COVID-19 pandemic, ramping up staffing so Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley patients could continue to receive lifesaving care, incurring major costs while losing revenue. This $17+ million for Bassett Healthcare Network is the federal government continuing to keep good on its promise to help hospitals in Upstate NY and across the country recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic,” said Senator Schumer. “As my first major act as Majority Leader, I fought to pass the American Rescue Plan, which created reimbursements for expenses during the public health emergency, so we could deliver the support that Upstate NY hospitals need to continue providing high-quality patient care and come back stronger. We must make sure that Bassett has the support it needs to continue delivering the top-notch care that it is known for.”
In January 2021, Schumer fought hard to deliver roughly $2 billion in additional funding to New York State for COVID-19 relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These funds are meant to help alleviate the significant local costs associated with the pandemic and will help New York State tackle COVID-related budget gaps. Bassett Healthcare is now receiving millions of dollars in support thanks to Schumer’s efforts. This federal funding will provide reimbursement for the costs that the hospitals incurred during the pandemic associated with hiring additional nurses, supplying COVID-19 testing kits, and purchasing medical supplies to provide critical treatment to patients suspected, confirmed, and recovering from COVID-19.
“I worked hard to ensure that FEMA would provide additional flexibility to hospitals hit hardest during the early days of the pandemic. Bassett’s hospitals and hospitals across the country put people over profit and took the necessary actions to protect heroic doctors, nurses, staff, and their families throughout the pandemic. Thanks to this agreement, Bassett is getting rightfully reimbursed for the massive costs it incurred when responding to the COVID crisis,” added Schumer.
“We are so grateful for Senator Schumer’s leadership and his tremendous advocacy to help to secure $17 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan,” said Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, President & CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network. “Bassett Healthcare Network serves 5,600 square miles of some of the most rural areas in New York State. Our service area is roughly the size of Connecticut. Rural health systems like Bassett are crucial to the vitality of our communities like Cherry Valley, Delhi, Little Falls, and many others who rely on us to care for their needs. It’s a responsibility we take seriously, and it is not easy. Advocates like Senator Schumer understand the need to update critical healthcare infrastructure and secure needed resources. This helps ensure rural hospitals can offer care that rivals metropolitan areas. We are incredibly grateful to Senator Schumer for his tireless advocacy and support – and for continuing to believe in the future of rural healthcare.”
Schumer said he is continuing to push for Bassett to be able to tap more of these reimbursements in COVID disaster relief he secured in the American Rescue Plan and he is also pushing to help them upgrade other areas of the hospital.
Schumer added, “We need to make sure that Bassett has the resources it needs not just to survive, but to thrive. That means securing this federal funding for Bassett to upgrade its hospital. I will keep fighting so that Bassett can recover and build back stronger.”
His efforts to deliver key COVID relief sent $15 billion through the Provider Relief Fund to New York, including $68+ million to the Bassett Healthcare Network, to ensure that those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic had the resources necessary to deliver healthcare to Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley patients. Schumer additionally fought for Bassett to retain its Critical Access Hospital status so it can remain eligible for federal reimbursements and continue offering critical services to the region’s patients. In 2022, Schumer additionally secured an agreement from FEMA that created a pathway for reimbursement on previously rejected expenses incurred by hospitals in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, unlocking hundreds of millions for New York’s hospitals, which otherwise would have been shouldered by the hospitals amidst the ongoing public health emergency.
Bassett Medical Center is a teaching hospital that delivers services including trauma care, a birthing center, intensive care, in-patient psychiatric care, and medical/surgical beds. Bassett Healthcare Network additionally has four area community hospitals: Cobleskill Regional Hospital, O’Connor Hospital, Little Falls Hospital, and A.O. Fox Hospital.
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