Underwood Works to Bring Public Health Resources to Illinois; Announces an Additional $286 Million in Emergency Funding

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) announced that Illinois will receive $286 million through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which Underwood strongly supported in Congress and was signed by the President in April, provides urgently needed resources to small businesses, protects health care workers, and expands access to coronavirus testing. The public health funding allocated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging and Infectious Diseases program can be used to expand Illinois's ability to conduct coronavirus testing and contact tracing.

"The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act will provide critical public health investments that will help our community fight this virus and safely reopen our economy," said Rep. Underwood. "The funding announced this week will help Illinois public health officials conduct coronavirus surveillance and develop long-term strategies for keeping our communities safe and healthy."

During the coronavirus pandemic, Underwood has continuously worked to bring federal resources to the 14th District to support public health systems. In total, the state of Illinois has received $326 million in emergency funding for public health initiatives through the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.

The funding provided through the CDC's Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging and Infectious Diseases can be used to support:

Surveillance, Detection, and Response:
Enhance investigation and outbreak response
Improve surveillance and reporting
Strengthen laboratory testing for response
Improve laboratory coordination and outreach to improve efficiency
Enhance workforce capacity
Enhance coordination between epi-lab
Advance electronic information exchange implementation
Sustain and/or enhance information systems
Enhance laboratory testing for surveillance and reporting
Prevention and Intervention:
Implement public health interventions and tools
Implement health promotion strategies
Implement public health best practices, guidelines, programs, and policy
Surveillance data used to inform and prepare intervention strategies
Communications, Coordination, and Partnerships:
Facilitate information dissemination to the public regarding infectious disease surveillance and prevention strategies
Enhance collaborations between state epidemiology and laboratory as well as regional/local public health departments
Strengthen partnerships between public health, hospital infection control, and clinical labs

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