Ivey allocates $100 million in pandemic relief funds to nursing homes, hospitals

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Alabama nursing homes will receive an additional $50 million in coronavirus pandemic federal relief funds, Gov. Kay Ivey's office announced Friday.

Alabama hospitals will also receive an additional $50 million grant.

The funds will go toward operational costs, including personnel costs and purchasing protective equipment, according to a press release.

“While there are many aspects of COVID-19 that we still don’t know, one thing that isn’t in dispute is our seniors and those with pre-existing health conditions fare the worst when contracting the virus,” Ivey said. “Protecting our most vulnerable citizens remains a priority for my administration, and it is incumbent to ensure that our nursing homes and hospitals have every tool possible to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as well as keep their staff and health care professionals safe as they offer exceptional care to those who are ill.”

Long-term care facilities have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 virus. According to public health data updated on Aug. 6, 2,292 employees at long-term care facilities have been diagnosed with the virus since March. Nearly 4,300 residents at the facilities have also been infected.

Alabama nursing home had previously been allocated a little over $18 million for testing and surveillance of the virus.

After an alarming upward trend in new cases and hospitalizations in mid-July prompted Ivey to implement a statewide masking mandate, the state's seven-day average of new cases has decreased from it's height. But the state's current hospitalization, though no longer spiking at a concerning rate, are holding steady at the highest numbers Alabama has seen yet in the pandemic. The state is also grappling with a concerning delay in test turnaround, public health officials announced last week, driven by a supply issue.

Montgomery County on Friday marked a seven-day average of nearly 68 new cases per day, well below it's mid-June peak that catalyzed Montgomery's own mask order. Baptist Health reported Friday it was caring for 106 COVID-19 patients in its River Region facilities, with 42 at Jackson Hospital. Seven people are known to have died from the virus in August, as of Aug. 7, with 148 total Montgomery County casualties confirmed since the pandemic began.

Post by baptisthealthcentralalabama.

On Friday, Ivey issued a PSA to encourage continued mask use.

"Today we are at war with an invisible enemy," Ivey said. "Not that long ago, families across Alabama helped America turn the tide in World War II. Some joined the front lines in combat, while others led the fight on the home front. Those sacrifices helped our nation win the war and go on to define the Greatest Generation. Now, we must answer today’s call. By comparison, our sacrifice is small. But each of us can do our part. Mask up Alabama."

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Melissa Brown at 334-240-0132 or mabrown@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Ivey allocates $100 million in pandemic relief funds to nursing homes, hospitals

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