Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Hospitals get $40M of CT’s federal pandemic relief fund

  • Health
  • by Keith M. Phaneuf and Jenna Carlesso
  • February 4, 2021
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

Bristol Hospital.

Gov. Ned Lamont assigned $40 million of Connecticut’s emergency pandemic relief from Washington, D.C., on Thursday to aid hospitals — a move that drew praise from the industry yet was far less than hospitals had sought.

Coupled with $980 million in direct federal coronavirus-related aid that hospitals already received, the latest grant means more than $1 billion in support for an industry that projected about $1.4 billion in losses last summer.

“This funding recognizes the front-line role Connecticut’s hospitals and their dedicated employees have played throughout this pandemic,” Lamont said. “It is not an overstatement to say that this role has been heroic and continues to be indispensable as we all work together to defeat the virus.”

The governor praised the industry for adapting infection control measures and suspending many elective surgeries last spring and summer to help contain the highly contagious virus.

Most hospitals were projecting sizable financial losses last summer. Besides losing millions of dollars in revenue from delaying non-essential surgical procedures, the industry faced added expenses tied to protective gear, enhanced cleaning programs and temporary facilities to house added beds.

The Connecticut Hospital Association asked Lamont last July for $450 million from the $1.34 billion, federal Coronavirus Relief Fund grant to cover its projected losses.

Lamont quickly dismissed any chances of an allocation that large, instead saying he hoped to give the industry $100 million but still had to juggle many other pressing needs.

The governor’s budget office also has dedicated major portions of the relief fund to COVID-19 testing, nursing homes, nonprofit social services and increased supplies of protective gear. In addition to the principal $40 million grant for hospitals, the state also has used the CRF to channel nearly $27 million to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Besides direct public health initiatives, the state also has used federal funds to help local school districts reopen this fall, refund student fees after public universities closed campuses last spring, aid struggling municipalities and businesses, accelerate processing of unemployment claims and expand housing and rental assistance

But Melissa McCaw, Lamont’s budget director, said administration officials always planned to reserve a portion of the relief funding for hospitals. The grant program, which was negotiated with the industry, distributes funds based on the COVID-related expenses of each facility.

Jennifer Jackson, CEO of the Connecticut Hospital Association, called the $40 million authorized by the administration “much needed financial assistance [that] will help keep our hospitals strong.”

The CHA leader added that programs such as expanded critical care to meet unprecedented patient needs, promoting public education about the coronavirus, and accelerating the dissemination of vaccines have not come without a price.

“These extraordinary actions have also come at extraordinary expense, resulting in historic financial losses,” she said. “The partnership with the state has been important to hospitals’ ability to respond so effectively to the pandemic.”

Hospitals must report eligible COVID-19 related costs to the state Department of Social Services and will receive reimbursements on a weekly basis.

Facilities also must dedicate at least 15% of their relief aid to eligible physician groups or ambulatory surgical centers that are enrolled in Connecticut’s Medicaid program and are formally affiliated with a  hospital. 

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keith M. Phaneuf A winner of numerous journalism awards, Keith Phaneuf has been CT Mirror’s state finances reporter since it launched in 2010. The former State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, Keith has spent most of 31 years as a reporter specializing in state government finances, analyzing such topics as income tax equity, waste in government and the complex funding systems behind Connecticut’s transportation and social services networks. A former contributing writer to The New York Times, Keith is a graduate of and a former journalism instructor at the University of Connecticut.

Jenna Carlesso is CT Mirror’s Health Reporter, focusing on health access, affordability, quality, equity and disparities, social determinants of health, health system planning, infrastructure, processes, information systems, and other health policy. Before joining CT Mirror Jenna was a reporter at The Hartford Courant for 10 years, where she consistently won statewide and regional awards. Jenna has a Master of Science degree in Interactive Media from Quinnipiac University and a Bachelor or Arts degree in Journalism from Grand Valley State University.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Restaurants and other business can go back to full capacity on March 19 as Lamont rolls back COVID restrictions in CT
by Mark Pazniokas and Jenna Carlesso

Connecticut will eliminate COVID-19 capacity limits on restaurants, houses of worship, retailers and most businesses on March 19.

1,500 Hartford school staff to be vaccinated this week at pop-up clinic
by Adria Watson

Vaccinations are taking place Thursday and Friday. A second round will be scheduled in coming days.

With billions in federal relief on the way to CT, legislators assert their role in deciding how to spend it
by Keith M. Phaneuf and Mark Pazniokas

With an unusual bill, state legislators are reminding Gov. Ned Lamont they have significant role in disbursing federal coronavirus relief.

How does the public option bill differ from Gov. Ned Lamont’s health care plan? Here’s a look at the two proposals.
by Jenna Carlesso

With the rising cost of care a central issue this legislative session, lawmakers and Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration have each moved ahead with their own plans aimed at driving down prices.

CT hasn’t started collecting new payroll tax from state workers
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Connecticut established a new payroll tax surcharge on Jan. 1 but still isn't deducting it from state workers' paychecks.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion The public health bill no one is talking about, but should be
by Brian Festa

On February 16,  the legislature's Public Health Committee conducted a public hearing on two bills, S.B. 568 and H.B. 6423, both of which would eliminate the religious exemption to mandatory vaccinations for Connecticut schoolchildren.  The hearing was capped at 24 hours, depriving nearly 1,500 members of the public who had registered for the hearing their opportunity to be heard.  The vast majority of those who did testify, and who submitted written testimony, opposed the bill.  The committee is expected to vote on the bill as early as  today. 

Opinion Students need more resources, fewer officers
by Tenille Bonilla

"School resource officer" is just a nice way to say cop. But what students really need is more resource and less officer.

Opinion The Board of Regents’ changes must not shortchange its students or faculty
by Carrie Andreoletti, PhD

As a university professor and a lifespan developmental psychologist, I tend to approach my work from a developmental perspective. This means I aim to foster a lifelong love of learning and to help others find a sense of meaning and purpose, as well as confidence in their ability to reach their goals. My approach to higher education is shaped by my desire to provide the best possible education for my students. This is why the recent Board of Regents’ proposed changes at the four state universities have me worried.

Opinion How to close schooling opportunity gaps created by the pandemic
by Carol Gale

We ask school district leaders to trust your public servants whose daily work life involves assessing student needs and planning or modifying instruction to meet those needs. Listen to their voices, as we have, and allocate precious resources on interventions that will offer increased opportunities for Hartford students to succeed.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO