The Department of Health and Human Services has abruptly canceled over $12 billion in federal grants to states that fund tracking infections, mental health services, addiction treatment, and other emergency health issues.
This cut could further hinder the state’s health department, already struggling with funds and competing demands from various health issues.
State health departments began receiving notifications that funds allocated during the Covid-19 pandemic were being terminated and would close soon.
“As it pertains to these funds, additional activities cannot be carried out,”
For some, the impact was immediate.
In Lubbock, Texas, public health officials were instructed to suspend support for grants funding responses to local outbreaks, according to city health director Catherine Wells.
On Tuesday, state health departments were preparing to lay off epidemiologists and data scientists, while others were still assessing the effects of the cuts before taking action.
State health officials predicted widespread job losses among health department employees and contract workers nationwide, with some estimating up to 90% staff losses in infectious disease teams.
“Taking money away from the public health system, which has been chronically underfunded for decades, renders the system incapacitated,” said former Washington health secretary Dr. Umai Shah.
Initial reports of the grant cuts were made by NBC.
The revoked grants include approximately $11.4 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and around $1 billion from the Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA).
Source: www.nytimes.com