Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC) will receive an accelerated/advance Medicare payment of $6,839,422. This loan is critical as Grant County deals with the impacts of COVID-19 and will allow GRMC to continue their operations and keep this health system functional.
This funding is expected to be delivered by the end of the week.
Below you will find statements form Senator Heinrich and Congresswoman Torres Small.
“Rural hospitals like Gila Regional Medical Center are absolutely essential to the health of their communities. It is critical that we do everything possible to keep these hospitals afloat during this crisis and I am proud of the collaboration with Congresswoman Torres Small to secure this loan that will provide a significant infusion of resources for this hospital. As we continue to grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, I will keep fighting to make sure New Mexico’s hospitals – especially rural hospitals – and front line health care workers get the funding, resources, supplies, and support they need.” – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.
“Every day I am working to make sure rural hospitals in New Mexico have the resources they need to keep their doors open and provide much needed care in their communities. When Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC) contacted Senator Heinrich and me about their dire financial situation, we sprang into action. Thanks to strong communication with Gila Regional, funds included the CARES Act, and good teamwork to highlight the situation with CMS, we were able to help secure over $6.8 million in funding that will allow GRMC to stay open and continue treating patients. Now more than ever, we need to work together to support our rural healthcare, and I was grateful to be able to work with Senator Heinrich and the staff at GRMC to help make this happen.” – Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small, NM-02
Torres Small and Heinrich also sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urging the administration to provide immediate financial assistance to rural hospitals. The letter points out that the vast majority of rural hospitals have ceased performing elective procedures and seeing non-urgent patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has significantly reduced revenue and threatens financial viability.
That letter can be found here.
As a reminder, the CARES Act, that both lawmakers voted for, created a $100 billion grant program for hospitals and other health care providers combatting the coronavirus pandemic. The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response is set to publish guidance on this program that will provide grants to hospitals, public entities, not-for-profit entities, and Medicare and Medicaid enrolled suppliers and institutional providers to cover unreimbursed health care related expenses or lost revenues attributable to the public health emergency resulting from the coronavirus.
The senator and the congresswoman are pressing the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response every day to develop grant application mechanisms, and will continue to do so as they fight to keep rural health services ready and able.