April 14, 2020

Manchin, Capito Announce More Than $500K For West Virginia's Hospital Preparedness Program

Charleston, WV – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced $536,443 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Healthcare Education Foundation of West Virginia as part of the Hospital Preparedness Program.

“Our hospitals and healthcare professionals are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been working tirelessly to care for those affected by this terrible pandemic. This funding will help support the emergency management personnel located across all our hospitals and who are working daily to coordinate our response to this pandemic. Our hospitals need funding and support, especially rural hospitals like those in West Virginia who are functioning on shoestring budgets and are at risk of closing. We must work to ensure that rural states like West Virginia receive our fair share of the emergency funding, especially our rural hospitals and healthcare professionals so they can stay afloat and care for fellow West Virginians in need during this pandemic,” said Senator Manchin.

“While our state battles the COVID-19 pandemic, our healthcare professionals have courageously stepped up to these challenging and uncertain times. I am so grateful for their dedication and sacrifice as they have worked tirelessly to keep our state safe, especially our at risk population. The West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA) plays a pivotal role in providing health services to our state and provides critical support to our healthcare professionals. This funding coming into the Healthcare Education Foundation of West Virginia will help educated WVAH members on updated hospital preparedness procedures, as well as provide technical support for specific services areas that will help our hospitals prepare for the challenges of the future. We must continue to supply the resources and training that our medical and healthcare workers need to do their jobs effectively and keep our state healthy,” said Senator Capito.