Hurricane Katrina Information for Mississippi Hospitals

Bill may finance hospital care for indigent

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has approved a waiver that would allow hospitals not ordinarily compensated for the care of uninsured patients to recover a majority of the costs associated with that care.

The financing is for services provided to low-income patients during the period between the time Hurricane Katrina made landfall and Jan. 30, though hospitals in some states have a rolling deadline for reimbursement, depending on when they added evacuees to their rolls, said Ben Bearden, Louisiana's director of Medicaid, in an article by Christine Harvey in the Times-Picayune.

Though the financing has been approved, Congress still must vote to allocate the money, Bearden said. A total of $2 billion would go not only toward payments for uncompensated care, but also to assist states that are caring for evacuees from parishes or counties considered disaster areas, and for those still living in disaster areas, for services provided through June 30, according to information provided by Bearden's office.

Hurricane Katrina Relief Award Application for Katrina hospitals for their libraries

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine southeastern regional office is offering a Katrina Relief Award to Network member libraries and health care clinics and hospitals in Mississippi that were adversely affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Award can be used to replace equipment, connections or resources that were lost due to the storm. For more information or to apply, click here.

FCC USAC Telecommunications Relief

The Federal Communications Commission has directed the Universal Service Fund to support the telecommunications recovery of the states affected by Hurricane Katrina and the areas where Hurricane Katrina evacuees have relocated by offering discounts of 50% on all telecommunications charges for rural and non-rural public and non-profit health care providers, until June 2006. The deadline for filing the applications for receiving the discounts is December 13, 2005.

Eligible health care providers include:

1. Post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, teaching hospitals or medical schools;
2. Community health centers or health centers providing health care to migrants;
3. Local health departments or agencies including dedicated emergency departments of rural for-profit hospitals;
4. Community Mental health centers;
5. Not-for-profit hospitals;
6. Health clinics including mobile clinics (which need not periodically change location);
7. Consortia of health care providers consisting of one or more of the above entities;
8. Part-time eligible entities located in otherwise ineligible facilities; or
9. Red Cross or Temporary Shelters providing community medical or mental health services.

All counties of Mississippi are in eligible areas for this discount.

Applicants should file FCC Form 465 no later than December 13, 2005. The form and detailed instructions may be found here. Applications may be submitted online. Paper copies of the form must also be signed and dated and mailed to the Rural Health Care Division at 80 S. Jefferson, Whippany, NJ 07981.

McGlinchey Stafford offering free legal work

McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC, is working with the State of Mississippi as pro bono bond counsel to implement a $25-million dollar loan program to help small businesses hurt by Hurricane Katrina.

The $25-million Disaster Loan Program will provide assistance to small businesses in Mississippi directly impacted by Katrina by providing short-term financing for their businesses operations. Ultimately the program serves as a recovery effort to help strengthen the foundation of Mississippi and restore the state's economic health. The program is modeled after a successful Florida bond program.

Foundation accepting applications for funding

The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson is accepting applications for funding from the Hurricane Katrina Assistance Fund.

Invited to apply are nonprofit community-based organizations and shelters in the tri-county area affected by the hurricane and helping evacuees. Organizations and shelters assisting Gulf Coast evacuees also will be considered. The application can be accessed online here.

The deadline for the first round of applications is Dec. 1. For more information, call (601) 974-6044.

The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson is a nonprofit foundation focusing on philanthropic giving in central Mississippi.

N.H. hospitals sending aid to Miss.

Supplies from hospitals around New Hampshire are heading to Mississippi to help Hancock Medical Center in Bay St. Louis recover from Hurricane Katrina.

The New Hampshire Hospital Association already had been raising money for the Hancock Medical Center in Bay St. Louis, but also collected equipment to help the hospital return to normal. After the hurricane, the Mississippi Hospital Association matched those wanting to help nationwide with those in need of help in our state. The assistance is part of that effort.

Federal Resources for Hospitals

Attached below is a letter from Governor Barbour and a list that the feds have prepared for health care providers listing federal payments available for providing health care services to hurricane evacuees and rebuilding health care infrastructure.

Download ghb_ltr_to_health_care_professionals_1005.doc

Download summary_of_federal_payments_available_for_hcp.doc

Katrina, Rita disaster aid deadline extended for four states

Residents of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas who were victims of hurricanes Katrina or Rita have until Jan. 11, 2006 to apply for state and federal disaster assistance under an extension announced Oct. 28 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “There are still hundreds of people registering every day,” said Vice Admiral Thad Allen, principal federal coordinating officer for the hurricane recovery efforts. “We want to make sure that everyone affected by the storms, especially those who have evacuated outside their home state, have the opportunity to register.”

[ via AHA News ]

Universal Service Opportunity for Katrina-affected areas

Universal Services is offering a 50% discount of monthly charges. Hospitals must file by December 13, 2005, to receive support under this temporary provision. For more information, see the document attached below.

Download rural_health_care_katrina_relief.pdf

German government loans Mississippi portable hospital

While massive cargo planes carrying supplies for hurricane victims have become a common sight in Mississippi, relief workers on Sunday got a special delivery, a 15-ton portable hospital on loan from the German government. The mobile hospital will be set up in Scott County, where miles of country roads separate storm-ravaged poultry and timber farms from the nearest town.