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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide $9.3 million in funding for a temporary replacement for Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus.  The hospital was severely damaged and the adjacent HealthPlex was destroyed during the storms and tornadoes that hit the area on March 1, 2007. Chambliss and Isakson toured the damage with President Bush on March 3, 2007, and have been working with local officials throughout the recovery process.

 

“This funding is greatly needed,” said Chambliss.  “The storms and tornadoes that hit Southwest Georgia took a tremendous toll on the Americus area and severely displaced a critical medical facility that so many folks in the area rely on.  It is imperative that the federal government provide all the assistance it can to continue the rebuilding process and ensure that Georgians who live in this area have access to the quality health care they deserve.  I commend David Seagraves and the many folks at the Sumter Regional Hospital for their leadership and service as well as the numerous local officials and citizens who have been an integral part of the rebuilding effort.”

 

“I’m extremely pleased to announce this funding for Sumter Regional Hospital,” Isakson said. “These funds are essential to the hospital’s recovery from the severe tornadoes that wreaked havoc across much of the area and will go a long way toward ensuring that residents of the region continue to receive the superior healthcare they have come to expect from Sumter Regional.”

 

Funding will be used for a type of modular construction known as a COGIM unit that will be used to construct the medical facility. One of the two projects will fund outer shell construction at an estimated cost of $2.5 million, while the other provides the interior build-out at an estimated cost of $7.4 million. FEMA’s commitment represents 75 percent of the total estimated cost of $12.4 million.  FEMA will disburse the money to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency for reimbursement to Sumter Regional Hospital. The grant comes from FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which provides financial assistance to state and federal governments and eligible non-profit organizations for disaster-related cleanup and rebuilding to pre-disaster condition.

 

The Georgia Hospital Association recently presented Sumter Regional Hospital with the GHA’s Chairman’s Award during the association’s summer meeting for its efforts during and following the tornadoes.