U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $2,049,639 in federal funding to provide telehealth services for New Yorkers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The funding was allocated through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES).
The first round of Telehealth Program funding awarded $312,500 to Mount Sinai Health System in New York City and $753,367 to Hudson River HealthCare, Inc. in Peekskill. The second round of funding awarded $983,772 to NYU Langone Health in New York City. The state and federal funding will provide recipients with resources to expand COVID-19 testing and treatment programs for low-income, uninsured and high-risk patients. Additionally, the funding will be used to implement telehealth services in makeshift spaces that have been converted into Intensive Care Units (ICUs) so that health care providers can monitor their increasing number of patients from a safe distance. This technology will keep patients on separate floors, thereby reducing exposure to COVID-19, and increasing the availability of both ICU specialists and personal protective equipment.
“As COVID-19 continues to sweep through New York, leaving no community untouched, it’s imperative that New York communities have the tools necessary to fight against the pandemic,” said Senator Schumer. “I am proud to have secured this vital funding for telehealth programs that will help New Yorkers get through this crisis and will continue to fight to make sure that hospitals have the dollars they need to keep both frontline healthcare providers and patients healthy.”
“Everyone deserves to have access to quality health care,” said Senator Gillibrand. “It is imperative that our health care providers and patients have the tools necessary to stay safe as we fight this pandemic regardless of risk, background, or socioeconomic status. I will keep fighting in the Senate to ensure that patients and front-line workers have access to the vital resources they need during this unprecedented health crisis.”