Governor McDonnell Announces Budget Amendment to Restore Funding for the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk

Press Release

Governor Bob McDonnell announced today that he will propose an amendment to the biennial budget recently passed by the General Assembly to restore $1.8 million in state funding for the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk. The state dollars will also allow the facility to receive federal Medicaid reimbursement funds of a similar amount.

The Children's Hospital is the only free standing, full service pediatric hospital in the Commonwealth. The hospital treats a much larger percentage of children on Medicaid than any other hospital in the state. The budget proposed by the prior Administration contained significant cuts to the Hospital, and the General Assembly worked to restore much of this funding. Not restored was state funding for the Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. McDonnell's budget will call for the restoration of $1.8 million. The money will be derived through budgetary amendments and actions the Governor will formally propose next week. The Governor has until Tuesday April 13th to send down his amendments and vetoes on all budget matters and legislation prior to the reconvened session of the General Assembly on April 21st.

Speaking about his amendment to restore funding for The Children Hospital of The King's Daughters, the Governor remarked, "As I have gone through the budget amendment process with my staff I have identified some areas where changes to the document passed by the General Assembly are necessary and important. One of these regards state funding for the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughter's. The Children's Hospital does amazing work for Virginia children in desperate need of medical care. Living in Virginia Beach, I came to know the facility well. So many families and children have been touched by the life-saving work done on a daily basis by the medical professionals at The Children's Hospital. I am submitting a $1.8 million budget amendment that will ensure the hospital's NICU is funded, and this good work can continue. I thank Delegate Chris Jones (R-Suffolk) and Senator Ralph Northam (D-Norfolk) for their bipartisan effort to bring this important matter to my attention, and I am optimistic that the General Assembly will approve this change when the body reconvenes on April 21st."

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