FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Chambliss, Isakson Applaud $5.5 Million Reimbursement for Sumter Regional Hospital

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today applauded the decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide $5.5 million in federal funding to help reimburse Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus for leased medical equipment. The hospital was severely damaged and the adjacent HealthPlex was destroyed during the storms and tornadoes that hit the area on March 1, 2007. Chambliss and Isakson toured the damage with President Bush on March 3, 2007, and have been working with local officials throughout the recovery process.

“This assistance is greatly needed,” said Chambliss. “The storms and tornadoes that hit Southwest Georgia last year took a tremendous toll on the Americus area and severely displaced a critical medical facility that so many folks in the area rely on. It is imperative that the federal government provide all the assistance it can to continue the rebuilding process and ensure that Georgians who live in this area have access to the quality health care they deserve.”

“This is welcome news for Sumter Regional Hospital,” Isakson said. “These funds are essential to the hospital’s recovery from the severe tornadoes that wreaked havoc across much of the area and will go a long way toward ensuring that residents of the region continue to receive the superior healthcare they have come to expect from Sumter Regional.”

###