Ever since the pandemic there’s been a lot of money for health-related issues coming down the pipeline from the federal government and the State of North Carolina.

Guilford County health officials are very happy to see that money continue to come in.

 On Thursday, Nov. 2, when the Guilford County Board of Commissioners meets again, the board will vote to accept more than $1.7 million for various health initiatives.  Many of those are related to COVID 19 even though the disease isn’t grabbing the headlines it once was.

Guilford County’s public health programs getting funds include the following:

• Reducing Infant Mortality in Communities ($20,000). This is additional funding meant “to establish one or more funded partnership with a non-profit organization or similar community-based organization to provide program services.”

• Covid-19 Cares Activities ($44,600). This will be used by the health department to work to prevent and prepare for new coronavirus threats by “carrying out surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory capacity, infection control, mitigation, communications, and other preparedness and response activities.” The money will also support community COVID-19 awareness and allow the county to buy additional clinical services equipment.

• Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Enhancing Detection ($314,131). These funds will in part be used to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus” by “supporting testing, case investigation and contact tracing, surveillance, containment, and mitigation.” That may include providing more testing for the virus, putting more mobile testing units on the streets, or other activities, such as COVID-19 testing and case investigation.

• Communicable Disease Pandemic Recovery ($422,559). This will provide the health department the ability to grow its communicable disease surveillance, detection and prevention efforts to address not just COVID-19 but also other communicable diseases.

• Tuberculosis Control ($1,500). This money is meant to strengthen Guilford County’s response to this disease with the ultimate goal of eliminating tuberculosis as a public health threat in the county and the state.

• COVID-19 School Health Team Workforce ($718,584). This funding is meant to provide more health positions in Guilford County Schools such as school nurses, health educators and school mental health professionals.

• Public Health Workforce ($211,777).  These dollars will be used to recruit, hire, and train employees who fill critical gaps in Guilford County’s public health infrastructure.