National Association of Counties
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health and Human Services (HHS) have announced multiple grant programs in recent weeks aimed at improving equity in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine access. Counties may apply directly for these grant programs prior to the deadlines later this month.
On March 17, The CDC announced that the agency would be allocating $2.25 billion in grants to local governments to address health disparities and improve health equity among communities and populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The funding will be distributed directly to over 100 local health departments at both the state and county level and grants will range from $2 million to $35 million depending on the county population size. A list of eligible applicants and estimated funding award amounts can be found here. Applications for the grants are due April 30, 2021.
Earlier in March, the Biden Administration announced it would invest $250 million in local health measures to encourage health safety and increase awareness of vaccinations. The initiative, titled Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19, will fund about 30 projects in urban communities and 43 projects in rural communities for two years. HHS’ Office of Minority Health will accept applications through April 20, 2021.
On March 25, the White House also announced HHS would invest $6 billion into Community Health Centers to expand access to vaccines in underserved communities. Counties support more than 1,300 Community Health Centers that serve about 30 million people, the majority of whom live at or below the poverty line. The CDC also announced a $330 million investment to train and deploy additional healthcare workers for community health centers.
The March 25 announcement also detailed a separate program designed to strengthen vaccine confidence. The CDC will provide $3 billion from both the CARES Act and the recently passed American Rescue plan across 64 jurisdictions, of which 60 percent of funding must be allocated local health departments, to support efforts to increase vaccine equity. The funds, which will be administered through preexisting cooperative agreements with the CDC, will be dispersed in early April.
Additional Resources:
<p>When determining local jail population drivers, counties may choose to look at neighboring counties’ data or others within their state and/or nationally as comparisons.
<p>Join NACo and the <a href="https://familiarfaces.naco.org/" target="_blank">Familiar Faces Initiative (FFI)</a> for a series of webinars highlightin
<p>Reducing length of stay during the pretrial period will decrease jail populations and allow people to return to the community more quickly to assist with their defense and continue working, attending school, caring for their familie
<p>Reducing the number of people in jail for technical violations can help decrease jail populations and improve outcomes and compliance with supervision conditions.
<p>Reducing the number of people arrested and booked into jails for low-level offenses and misdemeanors through diversion and citations, as well as outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court or not paying fines and fees, can h
<p>Reducing recidivism through effective jail- and community-based services can decrease jail admissions and populations and improve outcomes for people with criminal histories.</p>
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<p>NACo's Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.
