Local health departments brace for layoffs following CDC funding cuts

Local health departments that have lost millions in terminated COVID-19 federal grants are bracing for possible layoffs, higher expenses and reduced community services (Source: “Local health departments brace for layoffs, cuts after CDC funding slashed,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 2).
 
The CDC cuts will make it harder for county health departments to investigate COVID-19 spread, address health disparities, promote vaccination and educate the public about infectious diseases, health officials said. Salaries for community health workers and building projects are also jeopardized.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently pulled back $11.4 billion in funds allocated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to state and local health departments and other organizations, according to press reports.
 
“The impact is real— work that was serving the community on Monday is now gone as of Tuesday,” said Richard Stewart, spokesperson for the Cleveland Department of Health.
 
Nationally, thousands of health department workers may lose their jobs as a result of the terminated grants, according to press reports.
 
The funding slash is part of a number of cuts that new Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made, including the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for research into vaccine hesitancy, LGBTQ populations and supporting HIV prevention.