STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow is set to receive nearly $7 million in COVID-19 reimbursement funds, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. The hospital is part of a broader package of more than $105 million in federal disaster money secured for six Kentucky hospital systems and Kentucky Emergency Management.
Beshear’s administration announced that the funding comes through FEMA Disaster 4497, the Kentucky COVID-19 Pandemic Major Disaster declaration. The reimbursements cover costs incurred and damages received between January 2020 and May 11, 2023.
According to the governor’s office, the disaster funds helped pay for hospital safety measures, patient care, materials and supplies, personal protective equipment, medical support, contract labor, emergency protective measures and medications such as remdesivir. The reimbursements are intended to offset extraordinary expenses hospitals took on while responding to the pandemic.
T.J. hospital, part of T.J. Regional Health, will receive $6,917,666.16 in FEMA disaster funding. T.J. Regional Health is the largest employer in Barren County, making the new funding a significant development for the local workforce and health care system.
Other health systems across the state are also receiving substantial reimbursements. AdventHealth Manchester is being reimbursed $1,628,812.06, ARH is receiving $22,944,962.88 and Baptist Health is set to receive $17,207,818.93.
Pikeville Medical Center is being reimbursed $1,447,750.47, UofL Health will receive $13,397,435.97 and Kentucky Emergency Management is being reimbursed $41,820,598.35.
Gov. Beshear said his administration pushed to ensure hospitals received the reimbursements they were owed under the president’s emergency declaration, even though the funding is arriving years after the height of the pandemic. He also noted that the timing is important as hospitals deal with new financial pressures from federal Medicaid cuts.
“On behalf of T.J. Samson Community Hospital, we are deeply grateful to Gov. Beshear and FEMA for recognizing the extraordinary challenges and unprecedented expenses that hospitals faced throughout the pandemic,” said Neil Thornbury, CEO of T.J. Regional Health. “There were tremendous demands on healthcare organizations across Kentucky, and this funding acknowledges both the sacrifices made by healthcare workers and the ongoing need to ensure rural communities have access to strong, dependable healthcare close to home. We are proud of how our team responded during one of the most difficult periods in healthcare history, and this support will help us continue building for the future.”
Kentucky Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said first responders and hospitals went to great lengths to protect Kentuckians and that his agency is processing the money as quickly as possible. He said the goal is to allow hospitals and emergency teams to put the funds to use as they continue caring for and protecting people across the commonwealth.
Key Facts
– T.J. Samson Community Hospital in Glasgow will receive nearly $7 million in COVID-19 reimbursement funds.
– The money is part of more than $105 million in FEMA funds secured for six Kentucky hospital systems and Kentucky Emergency Management.
– Reimbursements cover costs and damages from January 2020 through May 11, 2023, under FEMA Disaster 4497.
– Funding supported hospital safety, patient care, PPE, contract labor, emergency protective measures and medications like remdesivir.
– T.J. Regional Health is the largest employer in Barren County.
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