BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $1.7 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse it for the costs of operating a quarantine shelter for vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,675,387 FEMA Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) for contracting with several organizations to open and operate a non-congregate quarantine/isolation shelter at Hallworth House in Providence, the site of former long-term care facility.
The state contracted with the United Way of Rhode Island to operate a Quarantine and Isolation Information and Resource Center (QIRC) call center and also provided assistance to the public in registering for vaccination clinics.
RIDOH also contracted West Bay Community Action Inc. for admission screening and program admission assistance, discharge screening and discharge assistance, and program administration. A total of 221 individuals stayed at Hallworth House for an average of 6.78 days, and a total of 4,497 meals were provided between December 2021 and June 2022.
“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 $641 million to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.