The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $50 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of providing monoclonal antibody treatments to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The $50,532,919 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for providing monoclonal antibody (mAb) infusion treatments to high-risk COVID-19 patients.

 

Between November 2021 and June 2022, the department contracted with seven hospitals and emergency service providers to operate internal and external infusion sites for the administration of mAb therapy to COVID-19 patients with the greatest need.

 

Each of these sites encompassed three teams of emergency medical service (EMS) providers, each comprised of five licensed EMS paramedics and equipped with mAb infusion and patient monitoring capabilities.

 

"FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with these costs," said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. "Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation's ongoing recovery."

 

FEMA's Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.

 

So far, FEMA has provided more than $1.9 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.