(NASHVILLE), April 28, 2020– State Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston) and Representative Ron Travis (R-Dayton) today announced Rhea Medical Center is set to receive $374,615 in a Rural Hospital Readiness Grant. The local lawmakers made the announcement after being notified by officials in Governor Bill Lee’s administration.
“This is tremendous news,” said Sen. Yager. “I have spoken with Rhea Medial Center CEO David Bixler numerous times over the last few weeks. I am very impressed with his and the hospital staff’s leadership. He and the local medical community have stayed ahead of the curve on this serious issue. I’m glad these funds have been awarded and will continue to work with local and state officials to ensure we have the equipment and resources needed to provide for the health care needs of our communities.”
The grant is part of $10 million in Small and Rural Hospital Readiness Grants that are going to support hospitals facing financial strain due to the ongoing response to COVID-19. The funds, capped at $500,000 per hospital, will be allocated from the state’s FY20 COVID-19 response appropriation and distributed by the Department of Finance & Administration.
Rep. Travis added, “Our local hospitals are on the front lines and we must make sure they have the resources they need to serve patients and combat the spread of coronavirus. I congratulate all who worked on this successful grant application which we were happy to support, and appreciate Governor Lee and our state officials for their role in awarding these funds.”
Congratulations to the attaining of the rural hospital grant. It is definitely through the dedicated work on the part of hospital leadership in conjunction with state leadership . Rural hospitals often go without, hopefully these funds will buy needed items.