CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA ANNOUNCES NEARLY $50 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR TWO LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) recently announced $25,091,359 in federal funds for the Harris County Public Health and $24,771,189 for the Houston Health Department. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was the granting agency and was funded in part by President Biden's American Rescue Plan (ARP) – which Congresswoman Garcia strongly supported in Congress. Specifically, these funds will address long-standing challenges across workforce retention, foundational capabilities, and data modernization.

"Sadly, Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country, so investing in the region's public health infrastructure is critical to ensuring residents have the health professionals and medical services in place to stay healthy and strong," said Congresswoman Garcia. "I supported President Biden's American Rescue Plan because I knew the funds would help constituents in my district. Now, both Harris County Public Health and the Houston Health Department will have essential funds to recruit and train more diverse public health staff and upgrade their facilities' medical and data systems. This will give patients a better experience when receiving healthcare in our region."

Both health departments will now have five years to invest the funds. This grant is part of the CDC's Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant program. This first-of-its-kind grant program provides flexible awards directly to state, local, and territorial health departments, to help ensure they have the staff, services, and systems they need to promote and protect health in their communities. It includes significant resources that awardees can use to recruit, retain, and train their workforce. Learn more about the grant program on the CDC's website.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She serves on the House Judiciary, Financial Services, and Armed Services Committees.