Reps. Eshoo, Lofgren, Khanna, Panetta Announce $16.5 Million for Public Health Improvements in Santa Clara County
PALO ALTO, CA – Today Reps. Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Ro Khanna (CA-17), and Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) announced $16.5 million in federal funding for Santa Clara County Health Department to improve critical public health infrastructure through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant program. The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package that passed in March 2021, and is intended to ensure communities have the people, services, and systems needed to respond to public health challenges.
“The Covid-19 pandemic was a wake-up call about the critical need for a strong public health infrastructure to prevent illness and stop outbreaks. I advocated for this funding to be included in the American Rescue Plan so local communities can modernize their public health workforce, and I’m proud to see $16.5 million going directly into our community in Santa Clara County,” said Eshoo. “This grant funding will be invested in our public health workforce and data infrastructure to ensure the Santa Clara Public Health Department can continue to respond to Covid, while preparing for future public health challenges.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in our country’s public health infrastructure. That’s why Democrats in Congress worked with the Biden White House to pass the American Rescue Plan to better prepare for and respond to outbreaks in the future, while improving public health outcomes now,” said Lofgren. “It is good news that the Santa Clara County Health Department is receiving these funds to continue building up our local infrastructure. We must always work to keep our neighbors, children, and grandchildren safe and healthy.”
“The Public Health Infrastructure Grant Program will strengthen Santa Clara County’s public health resources to protect our community from COVID-19 and other preventable health threats. This funding is also an important step in addressing inequities in our public health system and directly helping those who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. I’m glad to have worked with Reps. Eshoo, Lofgren, and Panetta to secure this funding in the American Rescue Plan and thrilled to see it go toward supporting the wellbeing of our community,” said Khanna.
“Throughout the pandemic, the Santa Clara County Health Department has addressed an unprecedented challenge by working very hard to keep our community safe and healthy," said Congressman Jimmy Panetta. “I'm proud to have partnered with my congressional colleagues who represent Santa Clara County to pass the American Rescue Plan so that the federal government could play its part by providing the necessary financial assistance to support local organizations that contributed so much to our fight against COVID-19. This additional and significant amount of federal funding will further the efforts of the Santa Clara County Health Department to not just continue our fight against COVID-19, but it will also better prepare our county in its efforts to deal with any future health emergencies and protect our community."
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