The Hospital Association of Rhode Island is seeking $200 million, and individual health systems are also seeking millions of the state's roughly $1 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief funds, the Boston Globe reported May 24.
The hospital association's request is a $50 million increase from what it asked for last fall, according to the report. The requested increase is due to unforeseen costs caused by the omicron variant surge.
"This additional funding would be to stabilize the healthcare system [across Rhode Island], which has been severely impacted by COVID-19," the association's President Teresa Paiva-Weed told the Globe. "But I'd be remiss if I didn't say that these hospitals are already financially fragile."
Providence-based Care New England is seeking $108 million to help fill staffing holes and construct new medical units, according to the report. Warwick-based Kent Hospital is requesting $51.75 million to provide premium pay to workers and support recruitment and retention efforts.