DENVER – FEMA has approved more than $5.7 million in additional Public Assistance funding for the COVID-19 response in Utah. The assistance was made available under a major disaster declaration issued April 4, 2020. FEMA has provided more than $129.8 million in Public Assistance funding for the Utah COVID-19 response to date.
The latest round of FEMA funding includes:
- $1.4 million to the Utah Division of Emergency Management for management costs incurred to track and manage its eligible subawards as a result of COVID-19.
- $1.25 million to the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics to utilize permanent employees, short-term and temporary staff to provide emergency medical care to COVID-19 positive patients.
- $3.08 million to the Utah Department of Health to disseminate COVID-19 related information for educating and informing the general public through public education, graphic design, mass media and communication efforts. The main campaign targeted high-risk individuals and multicultural communities to promote equitable education on CDC guidelines for wearing a mask, frequent hand washing, social distancing, staying at home when sick, testing locations, and vaccine education and locations.
For the COVID-19 response, FEMA has simplified the Public Assistance application and funding process to address the magnitude of this event and to allow local officials to receive eligible funding more quickly. These reimbursements play a critical role as state, tribal and local officials work tirelessly to assist their communities during this response.
Additional information about FEMA’s Public Assistance program can be found at www.fema.gov/assistance/public.