07.17.20

Sullivan Lauds Provider Relief Funding for Fairbanks Memorial Hospital

ANCHORAGE, AK – U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today commented on much-needed funding received by Fairbanks Memorial Hospital as a result of a special carve-out intended to capture overlooked rural facilities that have been advocated for by Senator Sullivan, his team, and the staff of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

“Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is a critical health care institution in our state,” said Senator Sullivan. “The hospital is a sole community hospital, meaning the community would lose access to health care if Fairbanks Memorial was forced to close. The much-needed provider-relief funding that the hospital has received will enable it to continue to provide excellent care to the community of Fairbanks and patients across the Interior. I’m appreciative that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services worked closely with my team and me on a solution to ensure that Fairbanks Memorial, as well as other institutions in the country that are labeled ‘urban’ but actually serve rural populations, can access these critical provider relief funds.” 

“We want to extend our deepest gratitude to Senator Dan Sullivan for his dedication to resolve previous flaws in Federal hospital COVID-19 distribution formulas,” said Jeff Cook, President of Foundation Health Partners. “Previous methods left Fairbanks Memorial Hospital out of all COVID-19 Small Rural Hospital grants intended to replace revenue losses. Senator Sullivan’s successful communications with U.S. Deputy U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Eric Hargan, along with Senator Lisa Murkowski’s collaboration and Congressman Don Young’s support, are greatly appreciated by the Greater Fairbanks Hospital Foundation.” 

Background:

The CARES Act, as well as other relief packages passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, contained $175 billion in provider relief funds, $10 billion of which was intended to go to rural institutions. However, in the 2010 census, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital was classified as an urban institution, disqualifying it from the extra formula funding. As a result of relentless work by Senator Sullivan, his staff, and the staff of Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created an alternative $1 billion tranche for urban facilities that served rural populations, thus resulting in an allocation for Fairbanks.

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