WHITE PLAINS – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/Rockland-Westchester) announced that Hudson River Healthcare, Inc., will receive $753,367 in COVID-19 relief funding for telehealth services and the expansion of its frontline coronavirus testing and treatment programs. This funding, awarded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), also ensures the high volume of low-income, uninsured, or underinsured patients served by Hudson River Healthcare have access to high-quality care.
Congresswoman Lowey helped lead the House negotiations with Senate Republicans and the Trump Administration on the CARES Act that included a total of $200 million to support health care providers’ use of telehealth services during this pandemic.
“New York continues to see the devasting impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, and health care providers across the state are bravely stepping up to meet this challenge head-on,” said Congresswoman Lowey. “Providers like Hudson River Healthcare are our first line of defense in keeping our communities safe and stopping the spread of COVID-19. With this funding, Hudson River Healthcare will have the ability to expand its telehealth efforts to practice social distancing while providing patients with high-quality care. I will continue fighting in Congress to bring federal support home to providers across the Lower Hudson Valley.”
“We are thrilled to have received a grant from the Federal Communications Commission that will enable critical investments in telemedicine software, telehealth equipment, and supplies,” said Anne Kauffman Nolon, CEO of Hudson River Healthcare. “We applaud Congresswoman Lowey for continuing to push forward congressional aid to healthcare organizations like ours at the frontline of the COVID-19 response. Our system of care, like so many others, transformed nearly overnight to provide care to patients in their homes and today we are conducting thousands of visits via telemedicine. We will use these resources to not only support software investment but also technology-enabled devices that allow us to monitor our patients safely at home.”
The telehealth funding is in addition to $100 billion nationwide for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF) to provide financial assistance to hospitals and other healthcare providers on the front lines of this crisis. It is also a small part of the tens of billions in federal assistance that will protect New York families, keep small businesses afloat, and stem the spread of COVID-19 so the Lower Hudson Valley can fully recover as quickly as possible.