FAH’s “Still Standing” campaign spotlights the indispensable role member hospitals played before, during, and after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Hospitals now face the daunting task of repairing facilities and rebuilding operations. As Congress considers a disaster relief package, it’s critical to remember that taxpaying hospitals are ineligible for FEMA assistance under current law. That is why FAH is calling on Congress to pass commonsense policies that will help hospitals and communities recover from recent disasters so they can continue providing 24/7 patient care.
Support hospitals with:
- Workforce Retention: Reinstate Disaster Zone Employee Retention Credits, originally passed following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and extend and expand Work Opportunity Tax Credits to help ensure hospitals can retain their workforce as they reopen, rebuild, and restart normal operations.
- Facility Repairs: Target bonus depreciation to federally declared disaster zones to enable hospitals to repair and rebuild damaged facilities and equipment.
- Temporary Employer Support: Provide tax credits for hospitals that offered housing for employees and allow certain hospitals to defer some employment taxes to ensure hospitals have the resources necessary sustain operations in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
“Hospitals invested hundreds of millions of dollars to protect their patients and employees, and their response was nothing short of heroic. Hospitals transferred patients to other facilities, secured generators for power, provided potable water, flew in additional health care workers to relieve their employees, set up shelters, and now are working quickly to repair damaged equipment and facilities. Helping hospitals quickly repair and recover will be critical to ensuring they are ready to provide uninterrupted patient care when the next disaster strikes.”
Charlene MacDonald, FAH Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Still Standing – Help Hospitals Recover from Recent Hurricanes & Protect 24/7 Patient Care
“With recovery efforts underway, FAH member hospitals are not just providing care – they’re helping rebuild communities alongside their neighbors in towns like Vidalia, GA; Asheville, NC; Saint Petersburg, FL; and so many more.
Yet, even as our tax-paying hospitals invest directly in the communities they serve and go above and beyond the call to deliver care, it is important to remember that they are not eligible to receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As Congress considers its response to this disaster, ensuring that all community hospitals and their frontline workers have the resources needed to provide essential care and services must be paramount.”
Chip Kahn, FAH President and CEO, When Disaster Strikes, Hospitals Have Your Back
“Baxter represents 60% of the U.S. health care IV fluid market. And when you have that disruption occur like it did as a result of the hurricane, it’s put a lot of stress on the health care providers to really focus on conservation.”
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“Well, right now it’s IV fluids, stating the obvious, that’s the main thing. But I think that this situation is a microcosm, that keeps me up at night, of what’s next. And it’s the crisis that you don’t see coming that really hits you pretty hard.“
Ed Jones, President and CEO, HealthTrust Performance Group on an episode of Hospitals In Focus, “Mission Critical: Strengthening Health Care’s Supply Chain“
