On the Front Lines of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Counties are Leveraging American Rescue Plan Act to Help Communities Thrive

WASHINGTON –With the historic investments from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the nation’s counties are leading efforts to save lives and restore livelihoods. The National Association of Counties (NACo) today launched a new database of county recovery plans that demonstrate how counties are deploying resources from ARPA’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, counties have invested in small businesses and nonprofits, vaccine distribution, public health and safety, human services, especially for those suffering from domestic violence, mental illnesses and substance use disorders, and much-needed infrastructure, including broadband. Counties have also provided safety net services for our most vulnerable residents – the sick, unemployed, elderly and youth.

Counties are continuing those investments in their community through the Recovery Fund including:

Deschutes County, Ore. Deschutes County will support the construction of the Veterans’ Village project, a community of transitional shelters designed to provide housing and services for homeless veterans with a $100,000 investment from the county’s ARPA allocation.

Isanti County, Minn. Before the pandemic, Isanti County Public Health and Allina Health conducted a community needs assessment that identified lack of social connection and other mental health issues as the top concerns of residents. With the pandemic exacerbating social isolation and related issues, the county launched an innovative wellbeing initiative to combat the psychological effects of the pandemic with Recovery Funds.

New Castle County, Del. New Castle County is launching a Nurse-Family Partnership to strengthen New Castle County families. This $3 million Recovery Funds investment, in partnership with Children & Families First, will expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to an additional 120 first-time mothers, and will track them for up to three years to help ensure children’s health and wellness.

America’s counties are on the front lines of the nation’s response to this public health and economic crisis, operating over 1,900 public health departments and nearly 1,000 hospitals, facilitating critical infrastructure and responsibly investing ARPA funds to support our residents and drive recovery in our communities.

Explore NACo's database of planned ARPA Recovery Fund investments, sourced from official county documents, including U.S. Treasury’s Recovery Plan Performance Reports, press releases and budgeting materials.