JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Duval County Health Department is one of just three Florida agencies announced to receive a major funding allotment from the Centers for Disease Control to address COVID-19-related health disparities.
The $6.549 million award is part of a $2.25 billion nationwide investment that seeks to advance health equity by expanding state and local health department capacity and services, marking the CDC’s largest investment to date to improve health equity in the United States.
“These grants demonstrate our steadfast commitment to keeping equity at the center of everything we do,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “They are an important step in our unwavering efforts to strengthen our communities’ readiness for public health emergencies — and to helping everyone in America have equal opportunities for health.”
The grants are funded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and included funding for the Florida Department of Health at $34.9 million, Georgia Department of Public Health at $38.8 million and the Miami-Dade County Department of Health at $28 million.
Duval Health Department officials did not respond to inquiries regarding what the $6.5 million will be used for locally or why they were chosen.
CDC officials said the intended outcomes of these grants include reducing COVID-19-related health disparities and improving and increasing testing and contact tracing among underserved populations that are at higher risk. Those include racial and ethnic minority groups and people living in rural communities.