Mucarsel-Powell Urges Trump Admin To Release Federal Emergency COVID-19 Aid To Alleviate Financial Stress On FL Hospitals 

After Local Hospital Announces Plan To Defer Furloughs Indefinitely, Mucarsel-Powell Demands Speedy Disbursement Of Relief Funds

MIAMI, FL – Today, U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26) sent a letter to the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma to address the dire situation facing many hospitals throughout Florida and to urge them to quickly inject funding directly into the hospital system so healthcare facilities will not be forced to reduce staffing. The letter was also signed by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Alcee Hastings (FL-20), Darren Soto (FL-9), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Charlie Christ (FL-13), Val Demings (FL-10), Lois Frankel (FL-21) and Federica Wilson (FL-24).

“I demand that the Trump administration disburse this emergency funding immediately so that our hospitals are fully staffed, fully stocked with the necessary protective equipment, and ready to confront Florida’s anticipated apex of COVID-19 patients in April,” said Mucarsel-Powell. “Our doctors, nurses, and other professionals working to save lives must receive the critical aid that Congress allocated weeks ago.

Members wrote: “Our hospitals, and the staff risking their lives each day working at these facilities, cannot afford to wait. We must give the teams at our hospitals the assurances that their budgets will remain intact, so they can focus their efforts on ensuring that they have the resources needed to protect their workforce. And our doctors, nurses, and other professionals working in our healthcare facilities have the peace of mind that their jobs are not at immediate risk and can concentrate their efforts on saving lives. We urge you to disburse this funding immediately so hospitals can avoid taking drastic steps to reduce their payrolls, and to quickly give Congress the information needed to assess the amount of additional funding required in future legislative packages addressing this pandemic.”

Mucarsel-Powell has stated that the first three stimulus packages to address coronavirus are not perfect, and that there is still much that needs to be addressed to fully combat the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. She is working with her colleagues to pass a fourth stimulus package that will address the remaining concerns she is hearing from local hospitals and community health centers and is fighting to include an additional $100 billion for hospitals, community health centers, and health systems providing desperately needed resources to the frontlines of this crisis, including the production and distribution of rapid testing and personal protective equipment (PPE).

A copy of the letter can be found HERE,

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