Applications are now open for hospitals seeking funds from the state’s recently passed Hospital Sustainability Grant Program, slated to allocate roughly $104 million.
The program, signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves in April, is said to serve as a short-term lifeline program for hospitals in need.
Despite concerns from hospital administrators about the funds being from the American Rescue Plan Act, which means only pandemic-related expenses will be reimbursed, State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney says the Mississippi State Department of Health has adopted criteria that will benefit most seeking aid.
“We’ve gotten our marching orders from what the federal government will let us do with it and we’re working to accept applications now and try to get that money out as quickly as we can,” Edney said on The Gallo Show. “Everybody was just expecting a check to be written and mailed, but it’s federal money — that’s not how they roll. What we have done is evaluate what will be allowed and to make sure all hospital administrators know that.”
Edney says the few hospitals that have applied in the early period have qualified for the maximum amount of money they are able to receive, which increases his optimism that the majority of hospitals in the state will benefit from the lifeline.
The MSDH has provided a list of generally acceptable expenses that can be reimbursed through the program, but for any system to receive aid, it must have experienced a financial loss.
As of now, there is no set timeline for hospital administrations to submit an application to acquire sustainability grant funding. Applications can be submitted here.
Watch the full interview with Edney below.
