HHS Announces CARES Act Funding Distribution To States & Localities In Support Of COVID-19 Response

The CDC is awarding over $631 million to state and local jurisdictions.

(Washington, D.C.) - The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide additional resources to state and local jurisdictions to continue support during the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

The CDC is awarding $631 million to all 64 jurisdictions through the existing Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) cooperative agreement using funds from the CARES Act.

Funds will help states with their efforts to re-open America. 

“This new funding secured from Congress by President Trump will help public health departments across America continue to battle COVID-19 and expand their capacity for testing, contact tracing, and containment,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “The professionals who staff America’s state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments have played a vital role in protecting Americans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, by reporting and analyzing surveillance data, tracing the spread of the virus, and developing scientific guidelines appropriate for local communities. As we look toward re-opening the economy, the work of these dedicated public health officials is only going to get more important, and the Trump Administration and CDC will be working right alongside them to assist.”

“This infusion of additional funding into the nation’s public health infrastructure will strengthen our capacity to implement tried and true containment measures,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “The ability to implement aggressive contact tracing, surveillance and testing will be fundamental to protecting vulnerable populations as the nation takes steps to reopen and Americans begin returning to their daily lives.”

This funding will be available to state and local jurisdictions to be used for various activities including:

• Establishing or enhancing the ability to aggressively identify cases, conduct contact tracing and follow up, as well as implement appropriate containment measures.
• Improving morbidity and mortality surveillance.
• Enhancing testing capacity.
• Controlling COVID-19 in high-risk settings and protect vulnerable or high-risk populations.
• Working with healthcare systems to manage and monitor system capacity.

Indiana will be receiving over $11.5 million in funding. 

Kentucky will be awarded just over $8 million. 

Lastly, Ohio will be given nearly $17.4 million. 

To see a full list of the CDC Coronavirus Funding to Jurisdictions, click here.