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RICHMOND, Va. (WFXR) — Virginia health officials announced Tuesday that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded $30.6 million to the Commonwealth in order to address health inequities created and exacerbated in high-risk and underserved communities by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a statement shared by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) on Tuesday, June 15, the two-year grant provides $27.3 million to the Commonwealth and an additional $3.3 million for the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health.
“We know COVID-19 has had an uneven impact on communities. Throughout this pandemic we have worked hard to apply resources evenly and equitably. These additional funds are allowing us to enhance those efforts, particularly in those areas where disparities in COVID-19 testing, cases and deaths, and vaccination rates continue to exist. Disparities exist across race, ethnicity and geography. The largest disparities in COVID-19 cases and deaths were found in census tracts with the greatest percentage of poverty and in areas that are more rural. We are using these dollars to enhance targeted outreach and efforts,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. M. Norman Oliver.
Health officials say the funds are part of a nationwide $2.5 billion investment to address the coronavirus and advance health equity for racial and ethnic minority groups and rural populations within state, local, territorial, and freely associated state health jurisdictions.
The VDH says approximately $12.1 million will be used in rural Virginia communities. In addition, $14.2 million — the majority of the grant — will be administered through mini-grant programs in communities.
The department reportedly sought the funds under a four-prong strategy, including infrastructure; data collection; prevention and control; and working with local partners, such as historically black colleges and universities, as well as faith communities.
“The Virginia Department of Health is committed to addressing health inequities and working with our community partners,” said Sable K. Nelson Dyer, acting Director of the Office of Health Equity. “We know we can’t do it alone. It’s going to take a community-centered approach.”
According to health officials, the funding was made available in the following four categories:
- State awards
- Local health departments serving a county or city with a population of greater than or equal to two million
- Local health departments serving a city with a population of 400,000 or more but less than two million (Virginia Beach is the only city in the Commonwealth that falls under this category)
- U.S. territories and freely associated states
“The CDC’s overarching goals for the grant are to address COVID-19-related health disparities; improve and increase testing and contact tracing among underserved populations and those at higher risk, including racial and ethnic minority groups and people living in rural communities; and to improve state, local, U.S. territorial and freely associated state health department capacity and services to prevent and control COVID-19 infection (or transmission) among those populations,” the VDH said in Tuesday’s statement.
Even though the Office of Health Equity is coordinating the grant, the VDH has also established a COVID-19 Funding Steering Committee to make sure funds are distributed equitably across the Commonwealth.
