BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $1.6 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse The Miriam Hospital for the cost of operating safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,636,249 FEMA Public Assistance grant will reimburse the private non-profit hospital in Providence – affiliated with Brown University – for steps taken to protect patients, staff and the public between June 2021 and June 2022.
The Miriam Hospital contracted security services to prescreen patients and visitors at entrances to ensure compliance with federal, state and hospital visitation and screening policies, as well as directional support for visitors/patients to screening and waiting areas for COVID-19 testing and/or vaccines.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist The Miriam Hospital 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 $607 million to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.