September 13, 2021 3:10 a.m.

On Friday, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley cheered an announcement by the Biden administration that $25.5 billion from the Provider Relief Fund will be distributed to health care providers in Oregon and across the nation amidst a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Wyden said, “The delta variant has put Oregon health providers under enormous strain as frontline health care workers approach their breaking point”. He said these dollars will provide critical relief to help keep patients and workers safe while the campaign to vaccinate all Americans continues.

Merkley said “As the Delta variant continues to surge, its clear that there’s still much work to be done to keep families across Oregon and around the country safe from this pandemic – and we can’t do that without getting more shots into arms and supporting the health care heroes on the frontlines”.

Last month both senators called for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to distribute funds remaining in the PRF and other health care programs.