The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $2.6 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse the Cambridge Health Alliance and Cambridge Public Health Commission for the cost of contracting for additional staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $2,623,471 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Cambridge Health Alliance for the cost of contracting for temporary staff to respond to the surge in patents caused by pandemic between January and March 2021.
During that time the Cambridge Health Alliance, a health network affiliated with Harvard Medical School and serving the communities north of Boston, increased staffing by contracting with several companies for additional staff in inpatient and surgical units, intensive care units, emergency departments, respiratory clinics, pharmacies, and laboratories.
“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Cambridge Health Alliance with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation’s ongoing recovery.”
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 $2.6 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.