Shore Medical, Cape Regional Call For Federal Funding

SOMERS POINT, NJ — The new coronavirus has put hospitals in difficult financial positions. That includes Shore Medical Center and Cape Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals continue to meet federal and state guidelines, such as discontinuing elective and non-emergent surgeries since mid-March. But neither qualified for federal relief, since neither had treated 100 coronavirus patients by the April 10 deadline.

"We need to make sure that assistance represents the shared sacrifices that healthcare workers at both medical centers have made," said a joint press release from both hospitals.

How Federal Funds Were Distributed

Shore had treated 61 patients for the coronavirus by April 10, according to hospital spokesperson Brian Cahill. Thirty-six were admitted, and others were sent home to recover if their symptoms weren't severe enough for hospitalization, according to Cahill.

Shore has admitted 102 total coronavirus patients as of Tuesday.

Cape Regional Medical Center has treated 95 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to hospital spokesperson Susan Staeger. That includes 31 emergency department patients and 64 hospitalized inpatients.

President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act into law March 27. The coronavirus-relief bill sent $12 billion to facilities who admitted at least 100 coronavirus patients by April 10. The Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday how they would distribute that funding.

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Hospitals are paid a fixed amount per COVID-19 admission, according to HHS. But hospitals with fewer than 100 admitted patients by that date didn't qualify for federal relief. The HHS also allotted $10 billion for rural hospitals.

"While this relief is to be applauded, many hospitals are left out of the distribution, including Shore Medical Center and Cape Regional Medical Center," the hospitals' statement said.

Patch did not receive a response from HHS in time for publication.

The Pandemic Since Then

The virus has become more prevalent in Cape May and Atlantic Counties since April 10, the cutoff date. Here's a comparison of coronavirus statistics in the areas between then and each county's most recently reported numbers.

Cape May County:

• April 11: 123 active cases, 15 cleared off quarantine, seven deaths (the County did not report numbers April 10)
• Tuesday: 179 active cases, 173 cleared off quarantine, 27 deaths

Atlantic County:

• April 10: 222 cases, seven deaths
• Wednesday: 1,278 total cases, 272 recoveries, 58 deaths

Financial difficulties for many hospitals struck early in the pandemic. Employees at Shore received a letter in late March offering the option of taking voluntary layoffs.

Much of the financial burden came from investing in personal protective equipment and also canceling elective surgeries and other services.

The reductions were for non-clinical areas of the hospital that had nothing to do with patient care, Cahill said. No doctors or nurses were granted layoffs. Read more: Shore Medical Center Calls For Voluntary Layoffs Amid Coronavirus

Both hospitals recommended that people call New Jersey's U.S. senators about additional funding.

"We need your help to make sure that everyone matters, regardless of the size of the hospital or the community it serves," the joint statement said. "Please contact your United States Senators Cory Booker at (973) 639-8700 and Robert Menendez at (973) 645-3030 who represent New Jersey. Let them know that we appreciate the great work they are doing in helping with legislation to support New Jersey hospitals and healthcare workers to ask HHS to correct this oversight. We are all supposed to be in this together."

Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Correction: Shore corrected a figure they sent Patch for their number of coronavirus patients as of Wednesday.

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