BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $1.3 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse the state for the costs of providing public testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,279,780 FEMA Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the cost of contracting for staff to support the state’s testing initiative between May 2020 and December 2020.
During that time period, Rhode Island developed community-based testing sites and collaborated with laboratory partners to conduct COVID-19 tests, and formed a group to support the state’s testing efforts by evaluating the constantly evolving supply chain, conducting logistical assessments of new sites, and implementing low-barrier points of engagement with COVID-19 testing for the public.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the State of Rhode Island with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic fight is critical to their success, and to 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 $612 million to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.