Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
Hospitals require funding to maintain and upgrade their physical infrastructure, which includes over 6,000 hospitals, nearly 920,000 hospital beds, and thousands of clinics. This infrastructure also relies on a vast array of complex and costly mechanical systems, information technology, medical equipment, and other supplies1. Hospitals must operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and meet federally mandated quality and safety standards that continually evolve to keep up with advances in clinical practice.
The Hill-Burton Act provided hospitals and other health care facilities with access to grants and loans for facility construction and modernization for over 50 years (from 1946-1997). Many hospitals need support so they can update their facilities and remain an access point to care in their communities, especially those hospitals serving medically underserved populations.
Investments in hospital infrastructure are also investments in the people and communities they serve. Hospitals and health systems often are economic anchors supporting 1-out-of-9 jobs in the U.S., and over $1 trillion in purchases of goods and services from others in their community. Moreover, COVID-19 has revealed that our health care infrastructure was under-resourced for a pandemic. Many hospitals and health systems were financially challenged headed into the crisis and now are experiencing unprecedented financial losses.
Therefore, federal financial support is critical to ensuring the long-term sustainability and viability of hospitals, maintaining access to high quality, safe, and environmentally sustainable health care.