Trigg among hospitals to receive grant

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week announced it would award more than $3.1 million to 12 small rural hospitals in New Mexico, including Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari, for COVID-19 testing and mitigation.

Trigg’s administrator stated in an email Thursday she wasn’t sure how much money the Tucumcari hospital would receive.

“We are grateful for this anticipated support, but do not yet have a figure for how much Dr. Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital will receive through the program,” Vickie Gutierrez wrote.

State Offices of Rural Health, which work with small rural hospitals to implement quality and operational improvement efforts, received the funding July 13 to distribute to eligible small rural hospitals in their states.

Small rural hospitals — those with fewer than 50 beds and critical access hospitals — are key healthcare access points.

Hospitals will use the funds to maintain or increase COVID-19 testing, expand access to testing for rural residents and tailor mitigation efforts to reflect the needs of local communities, according to a news release from HHS.

“The Biden Administration recognizes the important role that small rural hospitals have in closing the equity gap and ensuring that rural Americans can protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stated. “Today’s funding will help small rural hospitals continue to serve their communities in this critical role by expanding their COVID-19 testing capacity and mitigation efforts.”