Leads efforts to preserve patient access to quality, affordable care
Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) is leading efforts to bring home additional funding for local hospitals and providers battling surges in hospitalizations due to the Delta and Omicron variants. In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Ruiz urged the agency to quickly disburse the remainder of the Provider Relief Funds, allocated by Congress in COVID relief legislation, to hospitals and providers continuing to face pandemic-related hardships, such as staffing shortages. Ultimately, Ruiz’s efforts will help local hospitals and physician offices keep their doors open, preserving vital health care access for rural communities in the region.
“Now more than ever, we must protect access to quality, affordable care,” said Dr. Ruiz. “As our local hospitals and doctors continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to expedite pandemic relief funds so that our health care heroes can get the support they need to care for patients. I will continue fighting every step of the way to ensure the people I serve get the resources and care they need.”
Providers in California and the 36th District praised Dr. Ruiz’s efforts and echoed his calls for immediate disbursement of this vital funding.
“For a small rural hospital, the immediate disbursement of provider relief funds for rural facilities may be more critical than for larger urban hospitals,” said CEO of Palo Verde Hospital Sandra J. Anaya MSHA, BSN, RN. “Rural facilities operate on thin profit margins, with less staff, and limited allocations through the traditional supply chain. The additional challenges of staff illnesses, a small number of physicians, and patient surges in a crowded emergency department, can easily overwhelm the facility. The cost of travel nurses has become prohibitive as agencies continue to take advantage of all hospitals, large and small. Prolonged waiting time to transfer patients to larger, better equipped facilities, easily causes overcrowding of severely ill patients for little to no reimbursement. Provider Relief Funds will help ease the financial burden for many hospitals, especially rural facilities that continue to be challenged by myriad socioeconomic factors, that compound the provision of care in poorer communities such as ours.”
“San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital has incurred over $7 million of unreimbursed losses resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,” said CEO of San Gorgonio Hospital Steven Barron. “We are currently attempting to secure bridge loan financing to cover the gap. If we are unsuccessful, we will be bankrupt. We desperately need help from the government.”
“California physician practices are still struggling with the challenges of the pandemic, making it more difficult to provide the quality care patients deserve during this critical time,” said California Medical Association President Robert E. Wailes, M.D. “The California Medical Association appreciates Congressman Ruiz’s leadership and work to release important Provider Relief Funding so that patients continue to get the medical services they need.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked financial havoc on our already fragile health care delivery system,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “Over the past two years, hospitals in this state have lost an estimated $16.3 billion due to the pandemic. And, while some federal relief funds have been made available to hospitals and other providers, the allocations to date haven’t come close to adequately covering these losses, limiting the ability to care for communities in need. California hospitals are grateful to Rep. Ruiz for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of health care providers and the people we care for, and we urge the Department of Health and Human Services to quickly release the remaining resources in the Provider Relief Fund to those hospitals and providers most in need.”
Hernan Quintas | Contributed
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