Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) and Congressman Donald Norcross (D-N.J.-01) today announced $32,369,388.92 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding for Cooper University Hospital for costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, the hospital hired nearly 400 nurses to handle the influx of patients coming through the hospital.
“During the early days of the pandemic, hospitals across the country were struggling to keep up with the number of patients coming through their doors. Cooper University Hospital faced the challenge head on, hiring additional nurses to ensure their patients were well taken care of,” said Sen. Menendez. “This major grant award is critical so that the hospital can continue providing quality care, while taking care of the doctors, nurses, and administrative staff who work tirelessly every single day.”
“Since the darkest days of the pandemic and ever since, the healthcare providers at Cooper University Hospital have been on the front lines caring for people suffering because of COVID-19,” said Sen. Booker. “This important federal award shows that we have their back. I will continue fighting to secure the resources they need to protect public health.”
“When the pandemic came to South Jersey, our hospitals and health care workers were on the frontline,” said Rep. Norcross. “I am grateful for the talented nursing staff and dedicated health care workforce at Cooper and throughout our region. This federal funding helped our health care systems to absorb the shock of the pandemic and kept our family and friends safe.”
To ensure they could meet the health needs of the community, Cooper University Hospital hired 390 nurses over the course of pandemic with a focus on rehiring the same nurses as they became familiar with the hospital’s processes. Over the course of a little over two years, these nurses worked a total of 214,819 hours; approximately 552 hours per nurse.
“On behalf of the nearly 10,000 Cooper team members who have worked tirelessly since the earliest days of this pandemic to serve our community, we say thank you to FEMA, Senator Menendez, and the entire New Jersey delegation for their ongoing support to keep our health system strong as we provide quality care to our patients,” said Kevin O’Dowd, co-CEO of Cooper University Health Care.
Last year, Sen. Menendez, who led a years-long effort to reform how FEMA responds to disasters, announced that the agency answered his call to eliminate the cost-sharing requirements for disaster grants. The directive issued by President Biden allows states and local governments to be retroactively reimbursed at 100% for eligible expenses to combat COVID-19 incurred since Jan. 2020, and to apply for full reimbursement for additional eligible expenses going forward.