The federal government is granting nearly $2 million to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for COVID-19 matters.
US Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran issued a joint statement Monday saying the $1.7 million in grant funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is designed to address what they call “health disparities” and to ensure access to COVID-19 services, including testing, contact tracing and immunization as well as improving what they call “community health resiliency.”
The funding will train and deploy more community health workers, training them to deal with state and local public health initiatives to handle coronavirus in underserved patient demographics that are at higher risk of illness or death. These workers will also connect residents to health services with the goal of increasing access and frequency of appointments, reducing needs for emergency and specialty services and enhancing compliance with local health recommendations.
KDHE is receiving $1.7 million for the current fiscal year. This is a three-year project. KDHE’s funding beyond this year has not been announced.
