The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $16 million to the State of Maine to reimburse Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center for the cost of hiring temporary staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $15,736,284 in Public Assistance grants will reimburse the 411-bed hospital and Level II trauma center in Bangor for hiring temporary medical and nursing staff to deal with increased patient loads between September 2021 and May 2022.
Eastern Maine Maine Medical Center contracted with Freedom Healthcare Staffing, SimpliFi, Medical Solutions, O’Grady Peyton and Health Carousel Staffing to provide Registered Nurses (RN), Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), and Tele/MS Tele Telemetry Nurses to assist in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Eastern Maine Medical Center 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 to our success as a nation.”
So far, FEMA has provided more than $270 million in Public Assistance grants to Maine to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.