FEMA AWARDS RHODE ISLAND OVER $124 MILLION FOR COVID TESTING COSTS
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20250121/fema-awards-rhode-island-over-124-million-covid-testing-costs]


Release Date: 
May 4, 2023 

BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending
more than $124 million to the State of Rhode Island to reimburse the
state for the cost of providing testing for the public during the
COVID-19 pandemic.

The $124,208,921 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Rhode
Island Department of Health (RIDOH) for the cost of purchasing and
distributing at-home test kits and providing public testing sites
between March 2020 and July 2022.

RIDOH purchased and distributed 3,888,090 individual rapid at-home
COVID-19 antigen tests at a cost of $33,849,560, as well as
contracting to provide 1,307,950 COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) tests to the public at a cost of $43,546,718.

The remainder of the costs incurred included contracting for temporary
staff to support the testing locations, leased space for the testing
sites, waste removal services, natural gas and electric services, a
consulting physician, unarmed security services, ambulance services,
management consulting services, printed materials and office supplies
to support testing activities.

“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the State of Rhode Island with
these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori
Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of
the COVID-19 pandemic fight is critical to their success, and to 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.

This grant brings the total awarded by FEMA to the State of Rhode
Island to almost $793 million to reimburse the state for
pandemic-related expenses.