Following the passage of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the legislation is impacting several industries, people and other areas facing financial issues from COVID-19.

One area impacted is hospitals, and in particular rural hospitals. Greene County Medical Center Interim CEO Tracy Warner says hospitals have been seeing less and less revenue since restrictions went in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She says with fewer overall visits and limited procedures taking place at hospitals and continuing increased costs that hospitals are having to take on, that partially led to Congress passing the CARES Act to help soften the financial blow.

Warner points out that some provisions for hospitals and clinics with the CARES Act include advanced payments with the Medicare system, as well as grants and forgivable loan opportunities. 

“We’re taking advantage of every opportunity we can to submit applications, apply for grants for tele-medicine equipment for example, and to obtain equipment to allows us to sterilize rooms, testing machines and things like that.”

Warner adds, fortunately Greene County does not have as dire of a situation responding to the pandemic as other areas in Iowa and across the U.S.