The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $1.2 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse Southcoast Hospitals Group, Inc. for the cost of contracting for additional nursing staff to handle increased patient loads during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $1,226,711 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the non-profit, community-based health system that operates three hospitals in southeastern Massachusetts and facilities in Rhode Island for the cost of contracting for additional nursing staff.
Southcoast Hospitals Group contracted for 96 nurses who provided 10,399 hours of nursing patient care between July 2022 and May 2023.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Southcoast Hospitals Group with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation’s ongoing recovery.”
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
So far, FEMA has provided more than $2.8 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.