REGION I –Massachusetts will receive $37,821,788 from FEMA to reimburse costs incurred by The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) for five Alternate Care Sites to ensure hospital capacity in the wake of COVID-19 during the spring of 2020.
The sites include: Partners Healthcare/Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, UMass Memorial Health Care/DCU Center in Worcester, Cape Cod Healthcare/Joint Base Cape Cod, Southcoast Health System/University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Tripp Athletic Center, and Lowell General Hospital/University of Massachusetts Lowell Recreation Center. These Alternate Care Sites (ACS) supplemented the state healthcare system by providing additional bed space when pandemic projections exceeded hospital capacity. Additionally, MEMA provided the facilities with shelter materials, utilities, staff services, and access to and removal of potable water. Reimbursement requests for costs incurred by the clinical partners will be made separately to FEMA in the coming weeks.
This grant is funded through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Grant program which reimburses communities for actions taken in the immediate response and during recovery from a disaster. Eligible applicants include states, federally recognized tribal governments, U.S. territories, local governments, and certain private non-profit organizations. The grant applications are submitted from the state, which coordinates the process with local governments.
“This critical FEMA funding provided essential workers’ salaries, significant supplies including linen and laundry services, meals and provided MEMA the ability to staff personnel on the ground at every site, monitoring the work that was being executed,” said Regional Administrator and Federal Coordinating Officer Captain Russ Webster, who oversees FEMA’s operations in Massachusetts. MEMA works with FEMA during all phases of the PA program and conducts final reviews of FEMA-approved projects
FEMA obligates funding for this project directly to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Additional information about FEMA’s Public Assistance program can be found at https://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit.
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FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters