Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $18,732,882 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR). The funding was made possible in part by the American Rescue Plan and will help West Virginia strengthen its critical public health infrastructure by supporting the recruitment, retention and training of the public health workforce, improving organizational systems and advancing public health data modernization efforts.
“Our healthcare providers continue to go above and beyond to care for their fellow West Virginians, and I’m pleased the CDC is investing more than $18.7 million to strengthen the public health infrastructure and workforce across our state,” said Senator Manchin. “The funding announced today will help expand the existing public health workforce, advance efforts to modernize the use of public health data, improve organizational systems and prepare for future health risks to our state. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this investment and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for funding to bolster public health infrastructure across the Mountain State.”
The CDC’s Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant program provides funding to public health departments and national partners to help ensure every community has the workforce capacity, services and systems needed to promote and protect public health. The three pillars of the program include recruiting, retaining and supporting the public health workforce, strengthening foundational and organizational systems and deploying scalable and sustainable data technologies. The initiatives will help accelerate efforts to prevent and respond to emerging health threats, as well as expand access to important health services for West Virginia communities.