Governor Cuomo Announces $187 Million in Transformation Grants
On July 31st, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced $187 million in awards to 25 projects under the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program (SHCFTP). Three of the awards went to LeadingAge NY members, although the bulk of the funding was awarded to acute care hospitals and primary care providers.
As members may recall, the final budget for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2019-20 allowed the Department of Health (DOH) to award up to $300 million of the $525 million authorized under SHCFTP Phase III to fund highly rated applications previously submitted under Phase II that did not receive awards. We congratulate the following member organizations that received awards under this announcement:
- Charles T. Sitrin Health Care Center, Inc. – $3,235,065 for capital improvements to modernize facility and upgrade technology including a new Electronic Health Record system to enhance operational efficiency;
- Rome Memorial Hospital, Inc. – $3,051,469 for capital improvements to expand program and rehabilitation services and the senior behavioral health unit at the hospital's nursing home; and
- St. Mary's Center, Inc. – $5,799,610 to construct a new health center to expand access to integrated primary and behavioral health care services.
It is unclear at this point whether DOH will be awarding any of the $113 million remaining under the shift of SHCFTP funds authorized in the budget. SHCFTP Phase III, for which a solicitation will be issued at some future point, includes the following elements:
- At least $60 million will be allocated to community-based health care providers, which includes home care agencies, hospices, and other provider types;
- At least $45 million will be allocated specifically to nursing homes;
- Up to $20 million of the funds not otherwise earmarked for community-based providers or nursing homes may be allocated to the solicitation process for additional Assisted Living Program (ALP) capacity; and
- ALPs and adult care facilities (ACFs) are considered eligible applicants for SHCFTP funding not specifically earmarked in the above three categories.
Phase III funding will be available for capital projects, debt retirement, working capital, and other non-capital projects that facilitate health care transformation and expand access to health care services, including a merger, consolidation, acquisition, or other activities intended to create financially sustainable systems of care or preserve or expand essential health care services. Additional qualifying purposes include: (1) modernizing obsolete facility physical plants and infrastructure; (2) fostering participation in value-based payment (VBP) arrangements; (3) increasing the quality of resident care or experience in nursing homes; and (4) improving health information technology capability, including telehealth, to strengthen the acute, post-acute, and long term care service continuum.
LeadingAge NY will inform members when we have information on the Phase III solicitation.
Contact: Dan Heim, dheim@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866