“Today, the IHS is announcing the allocation decisions for $1 billion recently received by the agency in additional COVID-19 funding to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.”
“Of the $1 billion provided in the act, $790 million will support testing, contact tracing, containment, mitigation, and related activities to monitor and suppress COVID-19 in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The bill also provides $210 million for IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs to plan and prepare for coronavirus vaccines to ensure broad-based distribution, access, and vaccine coverage.”
“’The IHS sincerely values the support and the rapid and robust input from tribal and urban Indian organization leaders as we work together on a significantly accelerated timeline,’ said Acting IHS Director Elizabeth Fowler. ‘We will continue to work in partnership with our tribal and urban Indian organization partners to distribute these critical resources for the immediate support of our COVID-19 response.'”
“The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 116-260, Div. M, Title III (Dec. 27, 2020) (CRRSAA), which includes $1 billion in funding for IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs to prepare for, respond to, and recover from COVID-19, is the fifth round of supplemental COVID-19 funding.”
“The IHS initiated tribal consultation and urban confer on December 29, 2020, to seek rapid input regarding the allocation of funding for resources included in the bill.”
“The funds transferred to the IHS in the CRRSAA bring the total funding level for support of IHS’s COVID-19 response and recovery efforts to nearly $3 billion. The IHS is grateful for funding that prioritizes resources during this public health emergency for our tribal and urban Indian communities…” Read the full press release here.
Source: IHS receives an additional $1 billion for the continued COVID-19 response – February 2, 2021. IHS.
