Baptist Health system to get $17.2 million reimbursed for expenses during COVID pandemic

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday that the Baptist Health hospital system will receive $17.2 million dollars for expenses they incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's part of over $105 million in FEMA disaster funds secured by the state to reimburse six Kentucky hospitals and to Kentucky Emergency Management.

Bapist Health is a system of 8 hospitals headquartered in Louisville, with facilities in Paducah, throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

Other hospitals receiving funding include AdventHealth Manchester, Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Pikeville Medical Center, T.J. Samson Community Hospital and UofL Health.

The reimbursement is for costs incurred and damages received between 2020 and 2023, under FEMA Disaster 4497 – Kentucky COVID-19 Pandemic Major Disaster. At the time of the emergency, funding was used for hospital safety, patient care, personal protective equipment, medical support, contract labor, emergency protective measures, medications like remdesivir and more.

The breakdown of the amount of money going to each of the seven entities:

–AdventHealth Manchester is being reimbursed $1.6 million

–Appalachian Regional Healthcare is being reimbursed $22.9 million

–Pikeville Medical Center is being reimbursed $1.4 million

–T.J. Samson Community Hospital is being reimbursed $6.9 million

–UofL Health is being reimbursed $13.4 million

–KYEM is being reimbursed $41.8 million