BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending almost $1.8 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse the state for the costs of hiring data analytics experts to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,792,312 FEMA Public Assistance grant will go to the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health & Human Services for contracting with Freedman HealthCase, HCH Enterprises, and ONPOINT for data analytics services between March and December 2020.
Freedman HealthCase provided project management, technical expertise, and staffing to the integrated data engineering and analytics team. HCH Enterprises staffed the dashboard team, including data intake, database administration, ETL, dashboard development, and oversight. ONPOINT provided the data integration and advanced data modeling/architecture support for the All-Payer Claims Database and the Ecosystem, a comprehensive statewide integrated data system for COVID information.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health & Human Services 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.
This grant brings the total awarded by FEMA to the State of Rhode Island to more than $562 million to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.