Federal relief funding helped hospitals financially through the start of the pandemic, while those payments have tapered off even as the COVID-19 omicron variant surges.
Still, Tuesday’s announcement will bring new funding to providers still weathering the pandemic, especially as staffing shortages and heightened labor expenses pose new financial challenges.
“Provider Relief Fund payments have served as a lifeline for our nation’s heroic health care providers throughout the pandemic, helping them to continue to recruit and retain staff and deliver care to their communities,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
