Springfield City Council approves additional COVID-19 funding for health department

The Springfield City Council approved two ordinances Tuesday night that allow the Springfield-Greene County Health Department to continue efforts related to COVID-19.

The ordinances allow the city manager to accept and designate up to $1.4 million in grant funds from the FEMA Disaster Grants-Public Assistance Missouri COVID-19 Pandemic Program, as well as to accept an additional $128,479.88 Regional Coronavirus Vaccine Efforts grant from Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, both on behalf of the health department.

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The 7-day-rolling average of COVID-19 positive cases is currently at 42 and there were 26 people hospitalized, according to SGCHD Director Katie Towns. She explained that continuing funding is necessary as COVID-19 continues to be an endemic illness in the area.

"With the vaccine as well as treatment and the virus having changed and becoming less severe, we are hopeful that we will be able to continue to manage ebbs and flows," Towns said. "But as we go forward, we are going to be reliant on these funds, as this has become a new function within the department that we are allocating resources to in a regular way."

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The funding from FEMA will go toward COVID-19 testing, vaccination, contact tracing and education, Towns said. The DHSS grant allows SGCHD to continue working with public health agencies in the area as they continue receive and distribute vaccine and to offer support during vaccination efforts.

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield City Council OKs additional grants to manage COVID-19