HHS Awards $4,131,533 to Missouri to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Communities

Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded $4,131,533 to Missouri to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in rural communities. Specifically, this funding was awarded to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as an investment to support small rural hospitals in Missouri.

HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) received $150 million through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to assist hospitals across the nation, funded through the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP), respond to this public health emergency.

The CARES Act funding allows hospitals maximum flexibility in how they respond to COVID-19 within their communities, including the provision of testing and laboratory services as well as the purchase of personal protective equipment to minimize COVID-19 exposure.