(The Center Square) – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp plans to use more than $217 million in federal money to fund grants for hospitals, assisted living communities and personal care homes.
The state will use money from the American Rescue Plan’s (ARP) Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds for grants to bolster COVID-19 response efforts.
The bulk of the money, $170 million, will go to hospitals, and under the program, facilities are eligible for grants of up to $950,000. They can use the grants for various purposes, including building or improving COVID-19 testing sites or laboratories and installing or improving ventilation systems.
The state will dole out the remaining $47 million to assisted living communities and personal care homes with at least 25 beds and licensed by the Department of Community Health.
Under the program, facilities are eligible for grants of up to $100,000. They can use the grants for various purposes ranging from improving ventilation to buying personal protective equipment to supporting isolation or quarantine.
Facilities that receive grants can use the money to reimburse costs they incurred starting March 3, 2021, and running through Dec. 1, 2022.
The federal government allocated more than $4 billion to Georgia via the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Overall, the feds allocated more than $17 billion to the Peach State under ARP.
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
