UAB Hospital Losing $70 Million Per Month Due To COVID Restrictions
UAB Hospital is taking a financial hit from COVID-19. Officials announced Friday a projected loss of $70 million per month due to reduced clinical visits, elective surgeries and hospital stays.
“To get ready for the COVID crisis and to take care of these patients, we had to significantly decrease our clinical activity,” said UAB Health System CEO Will Ferniany in a video statement. “During the first month, we had about 3,000 elective surgery visits canceled … almost 11,000 less patient days in our hospital, and about 85,000 fewer visits to our clinics.”
Ferniany said the health system is estimated to lose around $230 million by the end of the fiscal year on September 30. He said UAB has received about $30 million in federal stimulus money to help hospitals deal with the crisis, and will seek additional financial assistance through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He said officials are minimizing expenses and have stopped all hiring and travel.
“To deal with this, and we have to deal with it so we can be ready to care for the people of Alabama in the future, we’re trying to re-open the hospital as quickly and safely as possible, to be here to treat the people that need our care,” Ferniany said.
UAB Hospital is the largest in Alabama. It has cared for 185 COVID-19 patients, roughly 25% of those who have been hospitalized for the virus statewide. UAB officials say the health system has been instrumental in helping Alabama fight the virus by expanding testing capacity, leading in research efforts and consulting with state leadership.
Peruvian farmer loses landmark climate case against German energy giant
A Peruvian farmer has lost a decade-long legal climate case against Germany energy giant RWE. Saúl Luciano Lliuya claimed the company's emissions had contributed to glacial melt threatening his Andean hometown.
GOP’s budget package proposes to cut benefits and raise fees for legal immigrants
The goal of the changes, which head to the Senate next week, is to save money and send a signal that Republicans are tough on immigration.
China is now the biggest debt collector in the developing world, report says
Developing countries owe billions to China, which threatens to undermine poverty reduction efforts and fuel instability, according to a new report from Australia's Lowy Institute.
After CDC cuts, doctors fear women will lose access to contraception research
A small team of researchers responsible for keeping clinicians up to date on contraception research has been cut. Doctors say they rely on the team's guidance when advising women about contraception.
Greetings from the Galápagos Islands, where the blue-footed booby shows its colors
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international correspondents share snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world.
Trump’s foreign policy: deals with allies over diplomacy with rivals
When President Trump talks about his foreign policy, he often frames it as a business deal. He says much less about conventional diplomacy, like ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
