White House will spend $7.4B to hire public health workers

The Biden administration will provide $7.4 billion to hire and train public health workers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and future health crises, according to a May 13 news release.

About $3.4 billion will go toward hiring staff to work on vaccination outreach, testing, contact tracing and other tasks at "overstretched public health departments."

The CDC and AmeriCorps will launch a Public Health AmeriCorps, using $400 million "to recruit and build a new workforce ready to respond to the public health needs of the nation." 

At least $500 million will support hiring school nurses who can administer COVID-19 vaccines to younger people. 

A final $3 billion will be funneled to the longer-term goal of modernizing the public health workforce.

The funding is part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed by President Joe Biden in March.

 

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