Gov. Kay Ivey awarded $18.27 million from the federal coronavirus relief fund to provide baseline testing and proactive surveillance of the virus for health care personnel and residents of nursing home facilities across Alabama.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey awarded funding this week for Alabama nursing homes to provide baseline coronavirus testing and surveillance for health care personnel and residents. (Hal Yeager/Governor’s Office)

“During the pandemic, it is critical we take care of our seniors and most vulnerable residents,” Ivey said. “Some of our largest outbreaks of COVID-19 were within nursing homes and we must do everything possible to contain the spread within their walls. Protecting these vital members of the community, as well as the dedicated staff who take care of them, is precisely the intent of the coronavirus relief fund.”

Alabama received about $1.9 billion from the  coronavirus rescue package to respond to and mitigate COVID-19. Alabama Act 2020-199 designated up to $250 million of the coronavirus relief fund for health care and services to Alabama residents.

“I am extremely grateful to Gov. Kay Ivey and her administration for supporting the ongoing testing of residents and staff in our facilities,” said Brandon Farmer, president and CEO of the Alabama Nursing Home Association. “This virus is not like anything we’ve ever seen and has hit our nursing homes and staff exceptionally hard. I am relieved to know we will have assistance to contain the spread of this virus and hopefully be able to eliminate it from our nursing homes.”

In partnership with the state of Alabama, the nonprofit Alabama Nursing Home Association Education Foundation will administer the money for all of Alabama’s nursing facilities. The foundation will provide a skilled nursing facility COVID-19 testing strategy and screening protocols to rapidly detect cases of coronavirus transmission and prevent further transmission of the virus.