Senators announce additional funding for Nevada hospitals

Nevada’s United States senators announced Tuesday that the federal Department of Health and Human Services has distributed more than $70 million to health care providers across Nevada to address costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen said $18,760,725 will go to providers treating a large number of COVID-19 inpatient admissions and another $51,470,536 will help support 21 rural Nevada hospitals, community health centers and health clinics. These funds, appropriated under the CARES Act, are in addition to the first two allocations of more than $315 million that went to health care providers in the state.

“Hospitals, community health centers and clinics all over the Silver State are working tirelessly to save lives,” Cortez Masto and Rosen said in a statement. “The funding provided by the CARES Act is crucial to getting necessary support to our frontline urban health care centers and rural safety net providers. As we work to reopen the Silver State, we’ll continue to do all we can to provide the support and resources our hospitals need to keep their doors open and their staff and patients safe.”

In the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, Congress appropriated a total of $175 billion to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for HHS to distribute to health care providers. To date, Nevada providers have received $386,181,196 in PHSSEF disbursements. HHS will continue to release funding in portions until the PHSSEF is exhausted.

Both Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen voted for these bills to support hospitals and health care systems during the pandemic.

Funds are continuing to go to health care providers, and those who have not submitted their information to HHS can do so at www.hhs.gov/providerelief.

Providers treating and testing uninsured patients for COVID-19 may apply for reimbursement through HHS at www.hrsa.gov/coviduninsured.claim.