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Columbia Memorial Hospital says FEMA resilience grant was canceled; asks for $6 million in state assistance
Summary
Columbia Memorial Hospital officials told the subcommittee their FEMA BRIC grant (for resilient hospital construction) was canceled and requested $6 million in state funds to keep their replacement hospital’s resiliency components intact.
Eric Thorson, CEO of Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, said the hospital’s previously awarded FEMA BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant was canceled April 4. The hospital is in the midst of a planned $300 million replacement and expansion that incorporates seismic and tsunami resiliency measures.
Thorson told the committee that the cancelled FEMA grant amounted to $20,000,000 and called the loss a significant blow to the project. He said community donors have pledged more than $7.2 million and that the hospital remains committed to building the resiliency components, asking the committee to consider a $6,000,000 state contribution to preserve those elements.
Thorson said the hospital’s expanded facility is designed to be a refuge for thousands of people during a major Cascadia earthquake and emphasized the project’s regional emergency preparedness value. The committee did not act on the request during the hearing.
