Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
January 25, 2022
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) today welcomed $11,317,034 heading to New Hampshire to support 25 health care providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding comes as part of a $2 billion national announcement in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 payments from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Today’s announcement follows the initial batch of PRF payments the delegation welcomed last month totaling $41,187,846 to support 262 health care providers in New Hampshire.
Shaheen has led bipartisan efforts in the Senate to shore up the PRF to support providers on the frontlines of the pandemic. In September, Shaheen welcomed news that $25.5 billion through the PRF and American Rescue Plan (ARP) rural distribution would open after she and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) discovered 25% of allocated PRF funding was unspent and led the push to quickly rectify it. Shaheen also fought to secure a set-aside for rural providers during ARP negotiations, and applauded HHS’ release of $7.5 billion in PRF funding for rural communities last month.
“The devastating surge of the omicron variant put frontline health care providers under unprecedented stress in New Hampshire. They need resources to expand their capacity to deliver life-saving care to the influx of patients – that’s what this funding from the Provider Relief Fund is for,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’ve led bipartisan efforts in the Senate to support health care workers through the PRF – especially in hard-hit rural areas – and I’m pleased to see this funding reaching New Hampshire as we battle this crisis. I’ll continue to ensure this lifeline reaches the hospitals, doctors and professionals who need it most until we put this public health crisis behind us once and for all.”
“New Hampshire is home to incredible health care providers who continue to put forward quality care for Granite Staters across the state,” said Senator Hassan. “But these health care providers have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and are struggling to bounce back. To protect the health of Granite Staters, we must make sure our health care providers – particularly those serving our most vulnerable communities and high-risk individuals – have the support and resources that they need. This investment does exactly that. As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I’ll continue to push to improve the health care of all Americans and work with the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation to secure critical funding for the Granite State.”
“Our rural and regional health care providers have been working day and night to keep our communities safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is essential they are able to continue this critical work amid the Omicron surge in New Hampshire,” said Rep. Annie Kuster. “These federal resources from the Provider Relief Fund will help offset the additional expenses our smaller Granite State health providers and suppliers incurred from their COVID-19 response to keep facilities open and patients seen. I will continue working to deliver the resources and tools our doctors, nurses, and health care workers need to weather this storm.”
“The ongoing pandemic has put health care facilities across New Hampshire at or over capacity, with hospital space that would be used for other emergency and elective care now being occupied by COVID-19 patients,” said Rep. Chris Pappas. “As we confront this surge, these federal funds will bring much-needed support to our health care facilities. I’ll continue fighting in Congress for the relief our providers need to ensure they can continue to serve our communities.”
During negotiations with the Senate and White House on the American Rescue Plan, Shaheen helped steer efforts to increase funding for the Provider Relief Fund to ensure hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers on the frontlines have the support they need to keep their doors open and continue to care patients. Shaheen also defended the Provider Relief Fund from being considered as a pay-for amid negotiations on the historic bipartisan infrastructure legislation that recently was signed into law. She also wrote an op-ed on her efforts to bolster the Provider Relief Fund as a lifeline for providers in the Concord Monitor.
More information on the $2 billion announcement is available here.
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