DENVER – FEMA has approved $12.8 million in additional Public Assistance funding for the COVID-19 response in Utah. The assistance was made available under a major disaster declaration issued April 4, 2020. FEMA has provided more than $254 million for the Utah COVID-19 response to date with this additional funding.
The FEMA Public Assistance funds were awarded to Intermountain Healthcare to reimburse them for the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE) for emergency and in-patient clinical care to COVID-19 positive patients, and to protect the health and safety of healthcare workers at 71 Intermountain Healthcare facilities throughout the state of Utah. The award covers the cost of PPE including face shields, medical gloves, medical gowns, N95 respirators, coveralls, and surgical masks used by the private non-profit’s facilities from January 21 to December 31, 2020, for the COVID-19 response.
FEMA has simplified the Public Assistance application and funding process for the COVID-19 response due to the magnitude of this event and to allow local officials to receive eligible funding more quickly. These reimbursements play a critical role as state, local and tribal officials work to assist their communities during the ongoing response.
Additional information about FEMA’s Public Assistance program can be found at www.fema.gov/assistance/public.