The office of Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., issued the following news release:
United States Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., today announced that Louisiana will receive $129,737,880 in supplemental Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These funds will go to hospitals that have suffered financial losses since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Securing this money has been among Sen. Landrieu's top priorities since the storms hit in 2005.
'Louisiana's health care infrastructure suffered greatly as a result of the hurricanes of the past three and a half years,' Sen. Landrieu said. 'I've been working with the Louisiana delegation to secure this assistance since the storms. It will provide much-needed relief for the state's health care system, particularly for New Orleans metro-area hospitals that stepped up to provide health care for Louisianians in need after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the devastating levee breaks that followed.'
The SSBG supplemental funds are expected to provide individuals and families with health and social services and assist states in the repair, renovation and construction of health care and mental facilities, child care centers and other social service facilities.
