Maine awards $5.1M in emergency relief to 53 health care organizations

The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $5.1 million in emergency relief grants to 53 health care organizations that serve residents enrolled in MaineCare, the state’s health benefit program for people with low incomes.

The funding, through the Maine Health Care Financial Relief Program, provides grants up to $100,000 to help Maine sustain vital health services during the pandemic, a news release Wednesday said.

The program launched in November and is modeled on the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development's Economic Recovery Grant program. The health care funding targets providers and other organizations that were ineligible for funding through the DECD program.

The bulk of the new funding went to Maine hospitals and nursing homes, with grants also received by providers of children’s behavioral health, home health and hospice care, according to the release.

"These grants offer new, immediate relief to hospitals and nursing homes that are providing vital health care throughout Maine," said DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew in the release. "As we continue to learn more about additional sources of federal relief funding, these grants will support Maine’s health providers at a critical time.”

Heather Johnson, commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, added, “Health care providers around the state continue to work tirelessly to care for Mainers on the front lines of the pandemic. We are happy to support this critical infrastructure.”