BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending almost $9.1 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse the Boston Public Health Commission for the costs of providing testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $9,076,785 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the commission for contracting to provide 96,839 COVID tests between September 2020 and December 2021, as well as the cost of setting up a call center and providing outreach support.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the Boston Public Health Commission with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”
FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
So far, FEMA has provided more than $1.3 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.