Primary Department: Public Health Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton - Executive Director
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Position
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval to update the funding source of seven positions effective June 13, 2026, to support the Office of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Emerging Diseases.
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Background and Discussion:
Harris County Public Health (HCPH) is requesting to update the funding source of seven positions from the GY22 Harris Cares Embrace Hope grant (2601) to the General Funds (1000), to ensure the continuity of the wastewater surveillance program throughout the County for the remainder of the fiscal year 2026.
The Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Program enables early detection of emerging diseases to strengthen public health interventions. By combining wastewater data with other surveillance sources, such as clinical and hospital data, the program provides a comprehensive view of community health. The program, operates in partnership with wastewater treatment plants, currently monitors 28 active sites with plans to expand to 50. It tracks over 10 pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, Norovirus, and Measles, with ongoing efforts to broaden surveillance capacity.
Expected Impact:
Updating this position’s funding source will allow our agency to work in collaboration to ensure samples are collected, dropped off to laboratory, all sites are visited on time, and potential new partners who are interested in being a sampling site are identified and onboarded to the program. Wastewater surveillance has proven to be a reliable method of passive monitoring for the presence of viral or bacterial caseloads of pathogens in the wastewater influent, shed by infected individuals. Wastewater monitoring serves to estimate disease burden at a community level, providing data that signifies areas that are most at risk and need increased testing/vaccinations.
Alternative Options:
N/A
County Strategic Plan Goal: 4. Improve physical and mental health outcomes across all communities.
County Strategic Plan Objective: N: Improve the health behaviors of community members.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): O3: Increase utilization of health-related public benefits.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Location:
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Labor |
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Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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1000 - General Fund |
$212,900 |
$ |
$212,900 |
$691,925 |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
$212,900 |
$ |
$212,900 |
$691,925 |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Funding Sources |
$212,900 |
$ |
$212,900 |
$691,925 |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Additional Positions Request |
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Total Personnel |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
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Anticipated Court Date: 5/14/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 6/13/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: James Dinkins, Chief People Officer, Harris County Public Health
Attachments (if applicable): 3441