DOF Notifies Legislature of Funding Transfer to Support LHD Pandemic Response

This week, the Department of Finance (DOF) issued a letter to legislative leaders notifying them of a Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget adjustment to support continued COVID-19 pandemic response activities by local health departments statewide. The DOF notification specifies that 70 percent, or $1.2 billion, of the federal Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Enhancing Detection funds received by the state will be allocated local health departments.

Recall, the ELC Enhancing Detection funds were provided by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (P.L. 116-260) that was passed by Congress and signed into law late last year. These funds will provide local health departments additional resources to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19. The funds will be used to advance six strategies identified through the ELC program.

The full DOF letter is available here.