COVID-19 Hospital Expanded Capacity Program; extend expenditure period of.

SB 2697 extends the deadline for Mississippi hospitals to claim reimbursement for pandemic-related capacity expansions from December 31, 2023, to December 31, 2024. It directly affects hospitals that created ICU beds (reimbursed up to $200,000 per bed) or negative pressure beds (up to $50,000 per bed) during the pandemic, requiring expenses to align with federal ARPA guidelines. The bill allows funds from Mississippi’s Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund to cover these reimbursements, prioritizing ICU bed costs first before negative pressure beds. Hospitals must submit applications by the new deadline, and the program ends July 1, 2026.