$86K In Coronavirus Funds Goes To Guildford Health Department

GUILFORD, CT — The Guilford Health Department will receive nearly $90,000 over the next three years as part of ongoing state and federal COVID-19 response efforts, it was announced Wednesday.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the state has approved the first 21 local health districts and departments that will receive a portion of $20 million in funding the state was allocated as part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Cooperative Agreement.

In the first year, Guilford health will receive $34,550; for a total of $86,376 over three years.

Under the agreement, the funding is intended to be used by the local health districts and departments to:

· Enhance laboratory detection, surveillance (contact tracing), response, informatics, and other workforce capacity;
· Strengthen laboratory testing volume and capacity;
· Coordinate and engage with partners as needed to respond to and prevent COVID-19;
· Prevent and minimize disease transmission of COVID-19; and
· Conduct health promotion activities associated with each of the previously mentioned activities.

“Ensuring the availability of these resources at the local level is critical to our response efforts,” Lamont said. “We know that our municipalities, health districts, and local service organizations know their communities best. I’m pleased we’ve been able to engage them in the community resource coordinator program and allocate funding to support them in combating COVID-19. Everyone in Connecticut should know that it’s safe to get tested – and if you need to stay home, we can support you, and our contact tracers are an important part of getting you what you need.”

The funding is being administered by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and will be distributed to each local health district and department over the course of three years.