Arkansas Department Of Commerce Begins Directing $10M For Rural Hospitals
April 20, 2020FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arkansas Department Of Commerce Begins Directing $10M For Rural Hospitals
LITTLE ROCK (April 20, 2020) – The Arkansas Department of Commerce announced it will award $10-million to provide financial assistance to 27 rural hospitals in the state whose operations have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The funds will be administered through the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s (AEDC) Community Development Block Grant program.
Rural hospitals received grants in amounts ranging from $200,000 to $500,000. AEDC worked with the Arkansas Hospital Association and rural hospitals to identify immediate needs for assistance.
“It is critical to assist hospitals that are working hard to provide care in rural Arkansas and to vulnerable populations,” said Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston. “We see the important need of consistent, elective and routine care in these facilities to remain financially stable. Hospitals are also a major economic engine in Arkansas’s rural communities. We believe the funds will help these hospitals weather the storm until conditions are back to near normal.”
“Rural hospitals are the backbone of care for hundreds of thousands of Arkansans,” said Governor Asa Hutchinson. “Those with lower numbers of beds are particularly impacted by the changes in care brought by the crisis. These hospitals are needed now and in the future. We must continue to support their operations and stand ready to help as we work through this national emergency.”
Rural Hospital Grants:
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In addition to the $10-million awarded directly to rural hospitals, UAMS will receive $500,000 for the Institute for Digital Health and Innovation (IDHI) COVID-19 Statewide Education Outreach Project which will bring education and support to all Arkansas’s hospitals with an emphasis on rural and critical access hospitals.
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