Charleston Leader

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, announced resources from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, W.Va. The funding will reimburse emergency costs accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Senator Capito emphasized the challenges faced by healthcare workers during the pandemic, stating, "When COVID hit in 2020, our frontline healthcare workers in West Virginia stepped into harm’s way to help treat patients against a deadly virus. However, hospitals also took on emergency costs that they couldn’t have prepared for." She further added, “This FEMA funding helps reimburse the hospital for its emergency services and will help it continue to serve patients in and around Huntington.”

The individual award details include $14,684,327.29 in FEMA funding to the St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, W.Va. This funding, authorized under Section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Act, will be utilized to reimburse the cost of personal protective equipment, overtime pay for employees, and equipment essential for patient treatment such as x-ray machines and ventilators.

This reimbursement will not only assist the medical center in covering the unforeseen emergency expenses incurred during the pandemic but also support its ongoing efforts to provide quality healthcare services to the community.

# # #