Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced a total of $7,152,467 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help Nevada public health departments combat coronavirus. The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services was awarded $6,918,548 in Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) funding to help Nevada health departments strengthen their abilities to respond to COVID-19, and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes were awarded $233,919 to fund local COVID-19 response efforts in coordination with the Indian Health Service.
“Combatting the coronavirus pandemic will continue to require a coordinated, robust response from Nevada’s tribal, state, and local health departments,” said the Senators. “This grant funding will ensure that our local health departments have the resources they need to protect vulnerable Nevadans, provide health care workers with the proper equipment and protective gear, and safely lead Nevada’s coronavirus recovery efforts.”
BACKGROUND:
The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement is a critical source of funding for state, local, and territorial public health departments. This funding helps health departments build and strengthen their abilities to effectively respond to a range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events.
The Supporting Tribal Public Health Capacity in Coronavirus Preparedness and Response funding is distributed through the HHS and provides emergency public health funding to federally recognized tribes, tribal organizations, consortia of federally recognized tribes, or their bona fide agents. During a national emergency, these organizations are uniquely positioned to provide emergency preparedness and response support for tribal health departments and other components of the tribal public health system.
###