|
 |
 |
|
Obama administration declares public health emergency for NY
-
11/01/12 10:03 AM ET
The Obama administration declared a public health emergency for New York late Wednesday as the region reels from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Department has deployed teams of medical professionals from around the country to assist hurricane victims in New York and New Jersey, according to the announcement.
The emergency declaration allows HHS to waive certain rules for Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries at states' request with the goal of ensuring continuous care throughout the crisis.
The move allows the healthcare system more flexibility in tending to crisis victims — permitting Medicare patients in New York to receive care at a nursing home without a prior three-day hospital stay, for example.
The announcement will also enable "alternate service locations" for federal health programs to be established quickly, HHS said.
Northeastern healthcare systems have been strained by Sandy, a storm of historic proportions that hit the East Coast earlier this week.
