Beginning in March 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will invest $2.25 billion over the course of two years to remedy health disparities created by the pandemic in underserved and high-risk communities, such as rural, and racial and ethnic minority communities. The CDC says this is its largest investment in communities affected by COVID-19-related health disparities.
The initiative offers public health departments around the country grants for testing and contract tracing. Grant money can also be used for the development of COVID-19 mitigation and prevention resources. Other aspects of the federal funding include data collection and reporting, infrastructure support, and advancing the goal of health equity.
Americans in higher-risk and medically underserved patient populations face higher rates of coronavirus exposure, infection, hospitalization, and death. Patients from these communities tend to have higher rates of chronic disease, which can lead to severe disease from coronavirus infection. These populations...
