Makes an appropriation to reimburse St. John's Episcopal Hospital for costs incurred as a result of remaining open and providing services to the community during and after Hurricane Sandy

BILL NUMBER:S6237

Title of bill

An act making an appropriation to reimburse St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway for costs incurred as a result of remaining open and providing services to the community during and after Hurricane Sandy

Summary of provisions

An appropriation shall be made from the general fund to reimburse St. John's Episcopal Hospital for costs incurred as a result of remaining open and providing services to the community during and after Hurricane Sandy.

Justification

St. John's Episcopal Hospital, located in Far Rockaway, in the county of Queens, remained open and provided services to the community during and after the storms, rains, or floods which occurred during the period beginning on October 29, 2012 and ending November 3, 2012 known as "Hurricane Sandy." As a result of remaining open and providing services to the community during Hurricane Sandy, St. John's Episcopal Hospital incurred many additional expenses and losses, including, but not limited to:

a. uncompensated care that does not meet DMS/HHS criteria for acute care reimbursement, including providing care for patients requiring dialysis or a ventilator who do not have a residence, nursing home, or adult home to return to;

b. providing shelter, clothing, and meals to residents and staff who lost homes or were temporarily unable to return to their residences. St. John's Episcopal Hospital provided more than 2,000 meals a day between October 28, 2012 and November 12, 2012;

c. lost revenue due to cancelled surgery and ambulatory services;

d. lost revenue due to the detoxification unit being closed in order to provide shelter services;

e. additional staffing and overtime expenditures;

f. electrical technician services, the operation of back-up generators, and fuel costs for the generators.

St. John's expended the sum of four million three hundred thirty thousand dollars ($4,330,000) for costs incurred as a result of remaining open and providing services to the community during and after Hurricane Sandy. The hospital played a vital role in serving the community during a natural disaster.

New York State is currently having a hospital crisis and is experiencing the closing of hospitals from Western New York to Long Island. St. John's, while dealing with its own financial issues, became an essential haven in the Rockaways during Hurricane Sandy.

Since the closing of Peninsula Hospital, St. John's is the only hospital on the Rockaway peninsula serving over 100,000 residents. It is therefore imperative that the State of New York reimburse St John's for its outlays caused by its response to the community's needs during Hurricane Sandy.

Legislative history

New Bill.

Fiscal implications

$4,330,000.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.