WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton—along with Congressmen Rick Crawford, French Hill, Steve Womack and Bruce Westerman—applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for awarding nearly $170 million to Arkansas Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers diagnosing, testing or caring for individuals with possible or confirmed cases of COVID-19.

HHS distributed a total of $169,908,060 to eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers on the front lines of Arkansas’s coronavirus response. The award was made available through the Provider Relief Fund created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Congress passed—with the Arkansas delegation’s support—to address the coronavirus crisis.

“The providers receiving funding through this award treat the most vulnerable in Arkansas. These vital resources will ensure our medical community can continue to provide high-quality treatment and services to every Arkansan as the state enters phase two of reopening,” members said.