Cnn
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Local and local public health services are preparing that American disease and prevention control centers fell around $ 11.4 billion in subsidies allocated to state and community health services during the COVVI-19 pandemic response.
“The 19 -year -old pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of dollars of taxpayers who respond to an nonexistent pandemic that the Americans left years ago. HHS prioritizes funding projects that will once again render the mandate of President Trump and human services said in a statement on Wednesday.
These funds have been widely used for COVVI-19 tests, COVVI-19 vaccination and COVID-19 global projects, according to HHS, including for community health workers focused on the most risky populations of COVID-19.
Since the start of the pandemic five years ago, the United States has had more than 100 million COVID-19 cases and around 1.2 million deaths, according to data from Kff. The older people, who are in certain racial and ethnic minority groups or who have certain medical conditions, have been more likely to undergo serious results of the virus.
The CDC plans to start recovering this money in about 30 days, according to HHS.
Opinions on this termination in funding were sent this week to local health services and organizations, said Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County Health Managers and the City. This group could see around $ 10 million in financing canceled, she said.
“These are subsidies from the era of the cocovated era. Basically, they started during the convincing response, but they made large part of the agreements that extended beyond the emergency, so that some of the emergency work can be extended in an effort to prepare better for the next emergency, or to build infrastructure,” said Freeman, adding that certain examples of work tests are sick. Some of these financing reductions could lead to significant layoffs.
“These are things that could potentially, all of a sudden, an impact on what we do in the field today, even if we respond to current emergencies and epidemics,” she said.
Brian Castrucci, president and chief executive officer of the Beaumont Foundation, a non-profit organization that studies and supports the American public health workforce, called for dismissal “a devastating blow to public health” through the country, in major cities and rural areas.
The funds may not have been spent yet, but local health organizations have already had plans for this, he said.
“People will lose jobs, programs will be reduced or cut, the communities will be less safe,” said Castrucci. “The greatest number of money will likely receive almost all aspects of the health service. This decision makes our communities and our country lower, less safe and threatens our economy. ”
The federal funds built the framework of stronger health responses in the future, notably for measles and bird flu epidemics that are currently performing, said Dr. Joseph Kanter, CEO of the association of State and territorial Health Offiners.
“With the support of the Congressional and the Directs Executive, these funds were used to modernize data systems, strengthen laboratory capacity, improve electronic reports of time -sensitive infectious diseases, improve H5N1 tests and measles and improve the preparation of biomedical terrorism, to name only a few examples,” Kantter said in a press release. “We worry the brutal loss of these activities will harm states and territories in their ability to respond to current and future threats.”
In Texas, Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas Health and Human Services, said that cuts would affect epidemiology, contacts of contacts and laboratory tests, but were also going to make efforts such as diabetes education programs in local community centers.
The Minnesota Ministry of Health said the cuts ended $ 226 million in state subsidies.
As a general rule, the federal government provides sufficient opinion on financing changes to allow the State to obtain other resources and avoid endangering the health of residents, he said. This time, the ministry said that the “unprecedented” change suddenly came after spending has already been approved by the federal government.
“In the past, we could count on the federal government to maintain its commitments and their obligations,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
“It will take time to understand all the impacts of this action, but these cuts are a huge loss – aggravated by uncertainty and chaos that our federal partners have introduced into this process.”
In Colorado, Mesa County Public Health said it would lose nearly $ 350,000, which could affect salaries of up to 10 employees – 12% of her workforce.
The money covers COVVI-19 vaccines in a public health clinic, finance funds for the prevention of respiratory diseases and “allows us to work with industries such as schools and service providers to ensure that they have training and procedures to manage the prevention of infectious diseases,” the agency said in a press release.
The public health of the County of Mesa was the agency which investigated for the first time E. coli epidemic Linked to raw onions in the quarter -quarters of McDonald’s, which shortened at least 104 people, killing one, in 14 states. The agency seemed to be the warning to the state health service and the CDC, an example of the important role of local health services in public health safety net.
“This funding is not only covid – although we are clear, COVVID still has an impact on our community in a real way,” said executive director Xavier Crockett in the press release. “It is a question of supporting the even backbone of local public health.