Friday, the Georgia Senate passed House Bill 30, or the Amended Fiscal Year (AFY) 2019 Budget. Included in the budget is a $2 million allocation of funding to compensate rural hospitals impacted by Hurricane Michael.

“No amount of money will ever be able to fully restore what was lost in the tracks of Hurricane Michael, let alone the toll it has taken on so many hard-working Georgians,” said Sen. Dean Burke, a spokesman for the bill. “However, I am thankful for the $2 million allocation that the state has provided for our hospitals back home. Rural hospitals already struggle to maintain upkeep of their facilities and the skilled physicians who work there. A disaster like Hurricane Michael was no help. I hope I can speak on behalf of the citizens in District 11 when I express my gratitude to the legislature and governor for helping us begin to rebuild what was lost and come back stronger than before. Our hospitals and the men and women who work in them were there for us when we needed it the most, and we will continue to do all we can to provide as much aid as possible.”

This one-time funding will be allocated to hospitals located in rural counties with populations less than 35,000 within the federally designated counties for assistance from Hurricane Michael.

Sen. Dean Burke represents the 11th Senate District which includes Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller and Seminole counties and portions of Mitchell and Thomas counties. He may be reached by phone at 404-656-0040 or by email at dean.burke@senate.ga.gov.