ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Medical Center will install two emergency generators and build a storage facility for the generators thanks to a $10,450,800 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The money will be spent on the generators, a 20,000-gallon storage tank that will be kept underground, and a building that will store and protect the generators from poor weather.
According to the funding announcement, weather seems like the primary genesis behind the funding. With flooding increasingly viewed as a severe threat to property and infrastructure in the area, the hospital’s leadership said the money comes at an important time to safeguard their operations from interruption.
“This federal investment will support the installment of critical infrastructure, such as two high-capacity emergency generators and an underground storage tank, that will help to bolster our operational resilience,” said Dr. Martin Stallone, the CEO of Cayuga Health System. “Now, the facility will be even better equipped to withstand future weather events and ensure the continued delivery of seamless, comprehensive, community-centered care for the many residents we serve.”
It is unclear if there have been any service interruptions at CMC due to power outages in the past. None were mentioned in the funding announcement, which was made by U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats from New York.
The announcement was made by Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand on Thursday afternoon. The funding “[reimburses] the hospital for expenses related to key power infrastructure upgrades and is provided at a 90% federal cost share.”
In a statement shared with the announcement, Schumer said the generators represent “resilient infrastructure needed to help keep the lights on and ensure lifesaving care can continue even in extreme weather.
The successful grant continues a booming run of funding for CMC since the beginning of 2023. The hospital was awarded about $1.5 million for a new facility at the Shops at Ithaca Mall through Tompkins County’s Community Recovery Fund, and weeks later were awarded $7 million from New York State for patient care delivery improvements.
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