The CDC is awarding Georgia $100 million to bolster the state's public health infrastructure, workforce and data systems, NPR affiliate GPB reported Dec. 6.
The grant is being disbursed over five years, with $83 million the first year and $16 million spread over the following four years, the report said. Georgia's public health department will use the grant to purchase an EMR system to replace the state's current outdated, and sometimes inaccurate or misleading, data management system.
"We were surging for COVID-19 on a cracked foundation," former public health worker and current advocate Brian Castrucci told GPB. "That's what made it so difficult."
The CDC grant encourages states to allocate at least 40 percent of the funding to local public health departments, the report said. Georgia has 18 public health districts, and in fiscal year 2021 the state public health department reported a 16.8 percent employee turnover rate.
"This is our opportunity to fortify this workforce and in doing so, really protect the safety, security and economic prosperity of the nation," Mr. Castrucci said.