The University of Rochester\u2014and particularly the Medical Center\u2014will receive important support from the $2 trillion recovery package approved by Congress and President Donald Trump last week.<\/p>\n
Known by the acronym CARES\u2014Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security\u2014the package is the largest of its kind in American history and third large-scale congressional effort in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n
According to members of the University\u2019s Office of Government and Community Relations, the package includes important relief for New York providers and higher education institutions, as the state deals with the country\u2019s largest outbreak of coronavirus-related cases.<\/p>\n
The federal package includes a $100 billion emergency fund for hospitals and health systems and provides relief from Medicare payments that affect the ability of health systems to manage their finances.<\/p>\n
The legislation also includes nearly $31 billion in emergency education funding, of which almost $14 billion is provided to higher education, split evenly between students and institutions. In addition, the package suspends federal student loan payments, and interest collection is suspended for six months.<\/p>\n
As Senate Minority Leader, Senator Charles Schumer was key in ensuring that funding and relief for New York\u2019s health care providers, colleges and universities, researchers, and students were included.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are grateful to our Congressional delegation, particularly Senator Schumer for his leadership in the Senate, for their efforts to secure increased funding in the CARES Act for hospitals and higher education as we take the necessary actions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, staff, patients, and community in this unprecedented time,\u201d said Peter Robinson, Vice President of Government and Community Relations. \u201cWe also want to specially thank Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman Joe Morelle, and Congressman Tom Reed for their support as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant and potentially long-term ramifications of this disruption to University operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among other University priorities, the legislation includes:<\/p>\n
<li<$50 million for the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).<\/ul>\n
Robinson said the University, along with partners like the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Association of American Universities (AAU), and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), continue to evaluate the legislation and its impact on institutions like Rochester.<\/p>\n
Congress is expected to consider additional stimulus packages to aid the nation\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we appreciate the funding included in the CARES Act, more is needed for students, researchers, universities, laboratories, hospitals, and medical professionals. We look forward to continuing to work with our Congressional delegation to safeguard the health, safety, and economic vitality of our communities and ensure the University is able to continue the important work we do in support of education, research, and health care,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The University of Rochester will receive important support from the $2 trillion recovery package designed to help the country fight coronavirus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":423082,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[37592],"class_list":["post-423052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-university-news","tag-covid-19"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n