Sinema’s bipartisan letter calls for a fair and equitable allocation of remaining Provider Relief Funds for senior care providers
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema led a bipartisan group of Senators urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure senior care providers in Arizona receive a fair and equitable allocation of remaining coronavirus-related Provider Relief Funds.
“The administration must immediately and fairly distribute targeted relief for senior care providers in Arizona and across the country. These resources will help health care providers pay for personal protective equipment, staffing, infection-prevention, vaccine administration, and testing needed to keep seniors safe,” wrote Sinema.
The CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act provided $178 billion in relief funds, including to hospitals and other healthcare providers on the front lines of the coronavirus response, to be distributed through the Provider Relief Fund (PRF).
Assisted living and similar senior care operators serve approximately 2 million vulnerable seniors and have received comparatively little relief from the fund. Operators estimate they have faced over $15 billion in losses due to increased expenses and record low occupancy rates. Sinema’s letter urges the agency to disburse remaining Provider Relief Funds for these senior care providers who provide housing and services to vulnerable seniors.
Click HERE for Sinema’s letter.