09.30.21

Cantwell Announces Over $1.2 Million in Grants to Seattle and Moses Lake Health Care Providers for Telehealth Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded a total of $1,249,012 in grants from round two of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program awarded to Neighborcare Health at Rainer Beach in Seattle and Samaritan Healthcare in Moses Lake. This funding will provide critical support to these health care providers on the front lines of the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“These telehealth grants awarded to Neighborcare Health at Rainier Beach and Samaritan Healthcare will help connect more people in Washington to life-saving care. Telehealth has been critical to making sure that communities have the ability to get medical advice in their homes during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Senator Cantwell.

Neighborcare Health at Rainier Beach (Seattle, WA)

Neighborcare Health at Rainier Beach was awarded $823,563 for computer systems dedicated to tele-video visits, giving health care providers the ability to conduct telemedicine in a variety of physical settings and allow providers to quickly address changes in their patients’ status without having to wait for the next in-person visit.

Samaritan Healthcare (Moses Lake, WA)

Samaritan Healthcare was awarded $425,449 to purchase telehealth services and connected devices, including laptops and webcams, to securely administer telehealth care to patients.

The COVID-19 Telehealth Program was first established in the 2020 CARES Act and then additional funds for the second round of awards were appropriated Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. To date, 134 awardees have received funding commitments for $83,093,531.

Senator Cantwell is a strong proponent of telehealth and has long stressed the need for comprehensive broadband infrastructure to support telehealth services. In August 2020, Cantwell joined her Senate colleagues in a letter to the FCC urging them to increase funding for the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program, which supports access to telehealth services in hard-to-reach and economically depressed communities. Since the pandemic began, Cantwell has announced more than $6.6 million in funding for telehealth services to health care entities throughout Washington state. At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in May 2020 on the state of broadband infrastructure in America, Senator Cantwell emphasized the importance of telehealth healthcare services throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

The full list of round two awardees can be found HERE.

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