dkh pg 8 5-30-24
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
PUTNAM — An additional $2 million in the new state spending bill for Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam was approved, bringing the two-year package of total state aid for the hospital to $17 million, according to State Senator Mae Flexer and state Representative Pat Boyd.
The funding was secured in House Bill 5523, which was debated and passed recently by the House of Representatives and the Senate and which allocates the unexpended American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that President Biden and Congressional Democrats approved in 2021.
“It’s nearly impossible for independent hospitals to survive in this health care climate, and I have made it my mission to save Day Kimball Hospital. The effect of hospital closures on patients and communities has been devastating. We can’t let that happen in our Quiet Corner,” Flexer said. “Connecticut was just ranked fourth in the country for the most at-risk states in America for the closure of rural hospitals. I am committed to doing everything in my power to seeing Day Kimball survive, thrive, and continue serving residents in northeastern Connecticut for decades to come.”
Boyd said: “Day Kimball Healthcare is critical to our region. Financially supporting the hospital is in the best interest of the state. Not only is Day Kimball a major employer but it is a key component to our area’s emergency medical system. I look forward to working with the Hospital to ensure its long-term stability. I am thankful to Governor Lamont, Senator Flexer, and Speaker Ritter for collaborating on this allocation.”
Last June, in the bipartisan state budget, Day Kimball received $10 million to help maintain essential health services, including 24-hour emergency services, obstetrics, behavioral health, and relevant specialty care and primary care. Day-Kimball also received $5 million in 2022 and was awarded another $616,000 from the state Office of Early Childhood in 2019.
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