U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) on May 12 unveiled a bill to ensure certain outpatient care facilities are deemed eligible to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
“The Paycheck Protection Program is serving as a lifeline to thousands of Ohio businesses through this pandemic,” Rep. Balderson said earlier this week. “Facilities that provide essential care — like freestanding ambulatory surgery centers, dialysis clinics, and mental health and substance abuse treatment centers — are hurting right now and should be able to access critical relief funds so patient care can continue seamlessly after the pandemic.”
Rep. Balderson sponsored the Protecting Outpatient Access Act of 2020, H.R. 6803, to amend the “Waiver of Affiliation Rules” provision of the CARES Act to adjust eligibility standards under the Paycheck Protection Program for certain small businesses, including facilities providing critical patient care, such as mental health and substance abuse centers, dialysis centers, health maintenance organization (HMO) medical centers, freestanding ambulatory surgical and emergency centers, and other outpatient care centers.
The Ohio Hospital Association, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association, Mental Health America of Ohio, the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons are among several organizations that support H.R. 6803.
“We are delighted that this bill recognizes the crisis currently being confronted by our mental health and substance use providers, while offering a very practical solution already available to others,” said Ron Manderscheid, executive director of the National Association for Rural Mental Health.