Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that the Department of Health (DOH) has applied for a more than $301 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen state and local public health capacity in Pennsylvania. More than $100 million of the funding would go to Pennsylvania’s six county health departments and four municipal health departments, who have primary responsibility for public health efforts inside their jurisdiction. The funding will support six primary strategies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic including:
- Continuing work to develop a robust testing and contact tracing strategy
- Supporting local health departments
- Investing in public health surveillance and laboratory infrastructure
The grant submission focused on ensuring minority and underserved communities are targeted for testing, outreach and that we have improved demographic data collection. Click here for a breakdown of the six strategies and corresponding funding.