BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending almost $1.2 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse the City of Worcester for the costs of operating a temporary hospital facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,165,630 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the city for operating a 250-bed Alternate Care Site (ACS) at the DCU Center, a downtown indoor arena and convention center complex, between May and December 2020.
The city hired a contractor to operate and maintain the ACS site during that time period. This site was previously used as an ACS, so no setup costs were incurred.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the City of Worcester with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”
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 almost $1.3 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.