ASTHO Urges Swift Approval of COVID-19 Emergency Supplemental Funding

March 04, 2020

ARLINGTON, VA—Michael Fraser, chief executive officer of ASTHO, issued the following statement after the release of the bipartisan agreement to support federal, state, and local public health agencies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

"ASTHO applauds the bipartisan agreement to provide emergency supplemental funding for state, territorial, and local health departments. We are deeply appreciative of Congressional efforts to include our funding priorities in this legislation. In particular, providing a baseline amount of $950 million—of which $475 million must be allocated within 30 days—for public health departments to enhance surveillance, increase laboratory testing, conduct contact tracing, provide infection control at the local level, and increase migration to prevent additional cases, will go a long way to further protect the health of all Americans. We strongly urge Congress to approve this legislation and for the President to sign it into law as soon as possible."

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ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.