The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse Worcester healthcare provider UMass Memorial Health $3.6 million for operating a COVID field hospital at the DCU Center twice during the first year of the pandemic.Â
The reimbursement, announced by FEMA on Friday, brings the total federal reimbursement for the DCU field hospital to $4.8 million, after FEMA announced Wednesday it was providing the City of Worcester $1.2 million for its expenses.
For UMass Memorial, the costs included medical equipment for the facility as well as air filtration equipment, security equipment and cameras, and personal protective equipment. UMass Memorial Health contracted for medical personnel, disinfection, and food services for the temporary hospital, according to a press release sent Friday by FEMA.
The DCU Center in Worcester was used as a field hospital to serve an overflow of patients from local hospitals. It operated from April until May 2020, then reopened in December 2020 until March 2021 after a surge in cases.
