Department: Public Health Services
Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton ─ Interim Executive Director
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Grant
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by Public Health Services for approval to submit an application to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for grant funds in the amount of $5,000,000, with no required match, for the FY 25 Public Health Crisis Response Cooperative Agreement.
end
Background and Discussion:
The CDC’s Public Health Crisis Response program aims to bolster national preparedness for public health emergencies by creating a list of approved but unfunded applicants who can receive rapid funding when a public health emergency is declared. Harris County Public Health is seeking the court’s approval to apply for this cooperative agreement will allow HCPH to immediately respond to large-scale public health emergencies by activating its emergency operations, hiring additional staff, and implementing tailored response strategies. The funding mechanism will assist Harris County in enhancing incident management, community resilience, and public health emergency response capabilities should the county experience a public health emergency. HCPH was previously awarded funding through this CDC cooperative agreement in 2020 and 2022 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds were critical in enabling the County to respond rapidly to the evolving public health emergency, including activating its emergency operations center, hiring additional staff, and expanding testing and vaccination efforts.
Expected Impact:
This funding will strengthen Harris County's ability to respond to public health crises by providing resources for emergency operations center (EOC) activation, surge staffing, and additional personnel to manage increased demand for public health services during emergencies. This will ensure that critical functions such as disease surveillance, risk communication, and the implementation of public health interventions are maintained throughout the emergency period. The overall goal is to ensure continuity of essential health services and minimize disruptions during large-scale emergencies.
Alternative Options:
The Court could choose to reject this request to apply for the grant, which would limit Harris County Public Health’s (HCPH) ability to respond effectively to public health emergencies. Without the additional resources provided by this funding, HCPH may face delays in activating emergency operations, hiring surge staff, and deploying critical public health interventions. This could lead to slower response times, increased pressure on existing staff, and reduced capacity to manage large-scale public health crises.
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
X Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
_ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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N/A |
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Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
Public Health Services |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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|
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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|
Grant |
$1,000,000 |
$4,000,000 |
$5,000,000 |
$ |
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. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Funding Request |
$1,000,000 |
$4,000,000 |
$5,000,000 |
$ |
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Personnel(Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: November 12, 2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): November 19, 2024
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Brandon Maddox, Director, Office of Planning and Innovation, Public Health Services
Attachments (if applicable): Grant NOFO, Grant Opportunity Synopsis