Press ReleasesSmith Applauds $280 Million in FEMA Relief for Missouri HospitalsMay 03, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) today celebrated the announcement of $280 million in FEMA Public Assistance grants to Missouri hospitals for increased costs they endured during COVID-19. Among the recipients are two cornerstone health facilities in Southeast Missouri — Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston and Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau — receiving roughly $2 million and $3.5 million, respectively. Congressman Smith said, “Missouri hospitals stepped up during COVID-19 and took on enormous costs to keep their communities safe and healthy. Requests for this public assistance were slow-walked under the Biden Administration, but the Trump Administration and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin delivered for Missouri hospitals and those who depend on them. Missouri Delta Medical Center and Southeast Hospital are lifelines for rural communities across Southeast Missouri, and this funding will provide meaningful relief to offset the increased costs they absorbed. I’m proud to see this relief finally reach the hands of the hospitals that earned it.” Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston serves as a critical access point for health care across the Bootheel, a region with some of the highest rates of chronic disease in the state. Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau is the largest hospital in the region and a vital resource for patients across Southeast and South Central Missouri. Both facilities shouldered significant financial burdens during COVID-19 while continuing to provide essential care to their communities. These funds will provide relief for the additional costs incurred during that time and allow these hospitals to get back to a better place financially.