NORWICH – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced Wednesday he successfully included legislation that will secure $4,217,300 in funding for UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital (CMH) through the year 2022 by extending the Low-Volume Program.

The announcement comes after Schumer visited UHS CMH in April 2017 when he unveiled the Rural Hospital Act of 2017, which aimed to protect and extend the Low-Volume Hospital and Medicare-Dependent Hospital Programs.

The Low-Volume Hospital Program had expired for UHS CMH on September 30, 2017, but the five-year extension included in the budget deal will offer the hospital much needed financial stability, according to Schumer.

UHS CMH Director of Community Relations Garry Root said, "UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital thanks U.S. Senator Schumer for his continued dedication to rural health care and we also praise him for his awareness of the financial pressures placed on rural hospitals like UHS Chenango Memorial."

Schumer said, "The inclusion of five-year extensions of two at-risk federal health care programs – both of which are critical to the financial stability of rural hospitals across the state – is great news for New Yorkers."