The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $2.2 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse Emerson Hospital for the cost of purchasing materials needed to treat patients and protect staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $2,217,427 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the non-profit community hospital in Concord for the cost of purchasing supplies and equipment needed to deal with the surge in patients caused by the pandemic between March and September 2020.
Among the items Emerson Hospital purchased were gloves, surgical masks, N95 masks, gowns, head covers, shoe covers, hand sanitizer, disinfection products, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, HEPA filters, body bags, monitors and cables, IV sets, syringes, feeding bags, anesthesia sets, counter shields, sneeze guards, floor decals, and tents.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Emerson Hospital with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation’s ongoing recovery.”
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 $2.6 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.