Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday he will be pushing for the federal government to reimburse the North Shore-LIJ Health Care System and a second Long Island hospital group that have spent more than $6 million on Ebola training.
“Long Island’s Ebola Treatment Center – North Shore-LIJ and Stony Brook [University Hospital] – quickly and meticulously answered the call of duty to handle the Ebola threat by training thousands of healthcare workers, preparing isolation units, purchasing new equipment and more,” Schumer said. “It is only fair that they be reimbursed for that critical, but expensive work.”
The Department of Health and Human Services earmarked $733 million to reimburse hospitals for Ebola treatment, which was is part of the recently approved $1.01 trillion omnibus bill that funds the federal government until September of 2015. The $733 million is part of $5.4 billion allocated to Ebola treatment in and out of the country, Schumer said.
He said that he will urge HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell to not leave out Long Island hospitals when developing a plan over the next 30 days of where the money should go throughout the country.
“New York is the center of where people from these African countries arrive,” Schumer said. “We’re doing a national service, it’s really important that we get this.”
North Shore-LIJ has spent approximately $6 million on Ebola preparedness, according to Michael Dowling, president and CEO of North Shore.
He said the money was on supplies and protective gear, including suits and masks, as well as training for more than 6,000 of the hospital’s employees.
Dowling said $2 million of that was spent on a specialized treatment unit at Glen Cove Hospital, which was designated two weeks ago by the Center for Disease Control as one of 36 Ebola Treatment Centers in the nation, and the only one on Long Island.
The treatment center, he said, would not be used exclusively for Ebola if the disease no longer posed a threat to Long Island.
“I applaud Senator Schumer for his advocacy in securing funding that will help offset costs incurred by hospitals in protecting the public from the spread of not only Ebola, but numerous other potentially deadly infectious diseases,” Dowling said.
Stony Brook University Hospital has spent approximately $400,000 on Ebola preparedness, according to L. Reuvan Pasternak, CEO of Stony brook University Hospital.
“We were honored to take on this important role for our community and public health statewide, but like other hospitals across the nation, our Ebola preparedness efforts have taken a toll on our budget,” Pasternak said.
Schumer said he expects the hospital will receive the reimbursement money.
“I am optimistic that we are going to get this money,” he said.
