Michigan hospitals getting $900M in fed COVID-19 aid

More than $900 million in federal funding is on its way to Michigan to help 28 of the state's hospitals cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

It's among $12 billion being distributed nationwide by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to hospitals in areas where the COVID-19 outbreak is significant.

The amounts for Michigan medical facilities range from $11.7 million to Covenant Medical Center in Harrison Township to $71.2 million to Henry Ford Hospital on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit.

Other major recipients include: Beaumont Hospital-Royal Oak ($68.7 million), Ascension St. John Hospital ($53.8 million), Henry Ford Macomb Hospital ($51.7 million), DMC Sinai-Grace ($46.9 million) and Beaumont Hospital-Dearborn ($45.3 million),

The $12 billion will go to 395 hospitals who provided inpatient care for 100 or more COVID-19 patients through April.

The financing is intended to defray expenses and lost revenue related to the coronavirus.

The Trump Administration said the distribution also accounted for hospitals serving “a significantly disproportionate number of low-income families."

The money came from the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.

Also, Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow announced Friday that $14.4 million in federal funds will be awarded to 39 health centers across the state for testing operations.

The funding will support the testing activities that best suit each center, including the purchase of personal protective equipment, training, public service announcements, test kits, laboratory upkeep, notification of infected people and expansion of walk-up and drive-up operations.

“From the onset of this pandemic, it has been clear that we must dramatically increase our testing capabilities and access to testing,” said Peters, the ranking minority member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"Widespread testing will not only help contain the spread of COVID-19 and keep our families safe, but is also essential to safely restarting our economy and getting people back to work," Stabenow said.

The health care facilities in Metro Detroit receiving the funding include:

• The Wellness Plan ($433,069).
• Detroit Health Care for the Homeless ($431,599).
• Covenant Community Care ($400,834).
• Western Wayne Family Health Centers ($356,059).
• Oakland Integrated Health Care Network ($299,869).
• Detroit Community Health Connection ($282,964).
• Community Health and Social Services Center ($268,969).
• Mycare Health Center ($166,804)
• Detroit Central City Community Mental Health ($165,529).
• Institute for Population Health ($143,947).
• Wayne County ($139,384).