Erie County Medical Center is in line for more than $13.6 million in federal funding to upgrade its emergency infrastructure, which should help the Buffalo hospital maintain its services during extreme weather events.
The federal funding, which comes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, will allow ECMC to purchase six new generators, upgrade transfer switches and switch gear for its main hospital systems, replace its underground storage tank and install temporary emergency power with temporary mobile generators, U.S. Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced Wednesday.
The funds, the senators said, reimburse ECMC for expenses related to the infrastructure upgrades. It is provided at a 90% federal cost share.
“This $13-plus million is a big shot in the arm for Erie County Medical Center and will help the hospital serve communities in snowstorms and other severe conditions, boosting the safety and resiliency of a critical health care institution in the region,” said Schumer, the U.S. Senate majority leader. “With six new generators, we are helping ensure Erie County Medical Center can continue to provide lifesaving care to patients in Buffalo and Western New York 24/7, no matter the weather.”
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This is the second announcement of FEMA funding for ECMC in less than a month. In late February, Schumer announced ECMC would receive $14.6 million from FEMA to reimburse the provider for costs incurred from emergency protective measures and increased staffing as part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
ECMC will receive more than $14.6 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, funds meant to reimburse the Buffalo health care provider for costs incurred from emergency protective measures and increased staffing as part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
ECMC, like other hospitals across Western New York, the state and the country, was battered financially during the pandemic, a hit that still lingers four years after Covid-19 arrived. ECMC and other local hospitals have welcomed federal and state relief, which has helped prop up financial results in the aftermath of recovery from the pandemic.
In a statement, ECMC President and CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr. thanked the senators for their support of the hospital’s efforts to upgrade and modernize its emergency generators.
“As our region’s only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center, it is essential that we have the most up-to-date systems in place to ensure that there is no interruption in lifesaving services for our patients,” he said.
Jon Harris can be reached at 716-849-3482 or jharris@buffnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByJonHarris.