Press Release: 2021-12-06

Massachusetts Department of Public Health awards $12.6 million for school health workforce and local COVID-19 response

Massachusetts Department of Public Health awards $12.6 million for school health workforce and local COVID-19 response:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/03/2021

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito Administration today announced $12.6 million in funding for community-based COVID-19 response, which includes $8.6 million in grants for school districts across the Commonwealth to expand the school health workforce and enhance schools’ ability to respond to COVID-19 and an additional $4 million for Local Boards of Health for COVID-19 contact tracing and case investigations.

School Health Workforce Funding

Forty-three school districts across the Commonwealth will received $8.6 million in funding over two years through the Crisis Response COVID-19 Supplemental Funding for Workforce Development from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These funds will be used to hire additional school nurses, expand the roles of school nurse leaders responsible for health and safety activities across entire school districts, and add additional staff to assist with case management, contact tracing, COVID-19 testing, and student mental health needs within school communities.

Local Public Health Funding

Building on a previous $16.6 million investment, the Administration has awarded an additional $4 million to local boards of health for COVID-19 contact tracing and case investigations, bringing the total amount of direct federal and state aid provided to local public health for contact tracing since April 2021 to $20.6 million. These funds are part of the state’s efforts to build and strengthen local public health by providing them with additional funding, training, and technical support as they respond to COVID-19.

“All of these funds will assist and support two groups that have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response – our school health workforce and our local health departments,” said Acting Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke. “We are grateful for all of their efforts to address the critical health and safety needs of Massachusetts residents throughout these challenging months, and the Administration is committed to being an active partner as we transition into the next phase of the pandemic.”