Rep. Max Rose announced the Staten Island University Hospital will receive $32.2 million in federal funding from the CARES Act.
Hospitals across the nation have had to adapt to meet the needs of patients during the pandemic by increasing their capacity, getting access to specialized equipment and testing hundreds of thousands of residents.
And on top of that, medical centers and hospitals also had to change how they make money, after the pandemic stopped or delayed many elective surgeries.
Matthew Libassi, a spokesman for Northwell Health, the system that includes Staten Island University Hospital, explained that federal funding from the CARES Act will go towards filling the gaps of lost revenue and expenses during the COVID-19 crisis.
Libassi said that Northwell Health, which is New York state’s largest healthcare network, spent $42 million on personal protective equipment alone for their staff while losing $1.6 billion, some of which was due to cancelled elective procedures. Funding from the CARES Act will help to supplement those losses, Libassi said.
“I’ve had the privilege of seeing first hand the lifesaving work done by the world-class healthcare professionals at SIUH,” Rose said in a statement. “They truly did whatever was necessary to tackle this pandemic, save lives, and keep Staten Islanders healthy—which came with great financial costs. They were there for us when we needed it most and this funding will help ensure their incredible work will continue.”
Northwell Health has treated about 20% of all of New York state’s COVID-19 patients, which comes out to about 40,000 people.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Rose deployed with the National Guard to help with the coronavirus response on Staten Island. In April, he helped set up a 262-bed emergency hospital at Staten Island University Hospital.
The CARES Act allocated more than $40 billion in funding for the state of New York, which was hit hard by COVID-19 and became the epicenter of the pandemic on the East Coast.
“Without the CARES Act, HHS and Rep. Max Rose’s continued support to Staten Island and Staten Island University Hospital, the ability to create new coronavirus units, purchase equipment, increase staff and the additional resources and facilities required to flatten the curve could have financially crippled hospitals and potentially threaten how we provide non-COVID care going forward,” said Brahim Ardolic, M.D., who serves as the Executive Director of Staten Island University Hospital in a statement.
Although the funding will certainly help the hospitals, Libassi says there is still a $500 million gap in lost revenue for the hospital system.
Elle Meyers Elle Meyers is a Congressional Reporter for COURIER where she covers national politics and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Previously Elle was a beat reporter in Montgomery County, Maryland and she is a native of Portland.
