FEMA Awards Nearly $8.3 M to Mass for COVID Vaccination Costs
BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending almost $8.3 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of providing vaccinations and preventative treatment to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $8,251,189 in Public Assistance grants will reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the costs of contracting to both operate a statewide network of mobile vaccination sites and to provide in-home vaccinations and treatments to homebound patients between July 2022 and May 2023.
One grant of $3,553,090 will cover the cost of contracting with CDR Health Care to provide 24 Registered Nurses for 6,659 hours, and 31 Certified Nursing Assistant/Licensed Practical Nurses for 7,948 hours, as well as costs such as meals, hotel, per diem, wages and mileage.
Those nurses performed telephone outreach, scheduled vaccinations, and provided vaccinator staffing to administer 3,457 vaccinations and 74 therapeutic preventive treatments.
A second grant of $4,698,099 will provide reimbursement for contracting with several firms to operate vaccination sites at 419 locations around the state and provide 19,444 vaccinations to individuals who met certain eligibility criteria.
Services provided included screening patients, administering the vaccine, vaccine storage compliance, documenting procedures, and personal protective equipment protocol compliance.
"FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Massachusetts 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.
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