Governor Bill Lee recently announced that the State of Tennessee will allocate $10 million in Small and Rural Hospital Readiness Grants to support hospitals that are facing financial strain due to the ongoing response to COVID-19. Wayne Medical Center (WMC) has been awarded a grant in the amount of $190,820.00, according to WMC CEO Tyler Taylor.
“Small and rural hospitals are critical to fighting COVID-19 and these grants will help complement federal aid dollars to ensure hospitals can continue delivering care through this crisis,” said Gov. Lee. “These organizations not only provide care for existing needs but are also a key part of our efforts to build and maintain bed capacity during the expected surge of COVID-19 cases.”
“Wayne Medical Center is pleased to receive this grant from the state. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted hospitals across the state, resulting in decreased volume and revenue. We are grateful for this grant and appreciative of the state’s efforts to provide support to rural hospitals,” said Taylor.
The funds, capped at $500,000 per hospital, will be allocated from the state’s FY20 COVID-19 response appropriation and distributed by the Department of Finance & Administration.
“I greatly appreciate the work that Wayne Medical Center and their staff are doing to support the health of Tennesseans during this crisis, and I would like to thank them personally for serving on the frontline of this pandemic,” said State Representative David Byrd. “Hopefully, this grant will help ease financial burden during the COVID-19 fight.”
Maury Regional Health CEO Alan Watson added, “Rural hospitals face many challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded their financial condition. We are grateful that Governor Lee has recognized these challenges and is providing grants to facilities like Wayne Medical Center.”
The State of Tennessee is committed to ensuring that hospitals maintain operational readiness in this time of financial uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus. These funds are intended to support small, rural facilities in the coming weeks as patient volumes decline and new federal funds become available.
