Rhode Island Veterans Home gets federal virus relief funds

*Senator Jack Reed talks about federal funding going to the Rhode Island Veterans Home to cover costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic April 16, 2021. Photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News*

BRISTOL, R.I. (AP) — The Rhode Island Veterans Home is getting an infusion of $840,000 in federal coronavirus relief funding, and more money is on the way, officials said Friday.

The funding stems from a $100 million emergency payment to state veterans homes nationwide from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, which was signed into law in December, according to a statement from U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Gov. Daniel McKee.

It is critical for veterans and their caregivers at the Rhode Island Veterans Home have continued access to lifesaving supplies and resources during the pandemic, they said.

More help is on the way for the Rhode Island Veterans Home and veterans across the state as a result of the American Rescue Plan, which set aside $750 million for construction grants and payments to veterans homes around the country, the statement said.

The $121 million state-run veterans home in Bristol opened in 2017 and can accommodate about 200 residents. It provides nursing and residential care to military veterans from Rhode Island, including social, medical, nursing, and rehabilitative services.

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HEALTH DEPARTMENT DATA

The Rhode Island Department of Health reported more than 400 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Friday, pushing the state’s total number of known cases since the start of the pandemic past 144,000.

The state also reported one additional virus-related death, for a total of 2,647 fatalities.

The daily test positivity rate remained steady at about 2%.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Rhode Island has now risen over the past two weeks from about 365 on March 31 to 458 as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins.

The number of patients in the hospital with the disease dropped to 133 as of Wednesday, down from 143 the previous day.

Almost 321,000 people in the state have now been fully vaccinated, or more than 30% of the state’s population, although people who work or go to school in the state are also eligible to get a vaccination.