July 23, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing COVID-19 response efforts, will invest more than $1.6 billion from the American Rescue Plan to support testing and mitigation measures in high-risk congregate settings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and detect and stem potential outbreaks, HHS announced.
As COVID-19 cases rise among unvaccinated people and where the more transmissible Delta virus variant is surging, this funding will expand activities to detect, diagnose, trace, and monitor infections and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in homeless shelters, treatment and recovery facilities, domestic violence shelters and federal, state and local correctional facilities.
“As we continue the vaccination program to get more Americans protected, it is important that we double down on our efforts to increase testing especially in vulnerable communities,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we can make sure high-risk environments like correctional facilities and shelters for those experiencing homelessness have greater capacity for testing to prevent potential outbreaks and continue our nation’s progress in moving out of the pandemic.”
This funding will support expanded COVID-19 testing and mitigation measures for
- Mental Health and Substance Use Providers: $100M
- Shelters for People Experiencing Homelessness, Group Homes and other Congregate Settings: $80 million
- Federal, State and Local Prison Populations: $169 million
- Local Domestic Violence Shelters and Tribal Shelters Supportive Services for Survivors of Domestic and Dating Violence: $550 million
- HHS also announced that CDC, in partnership with DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, is distributing $700 million to 64 state and local jurisdictions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in confinement facilities, including prisons, jails, and juvenile confinement facilities.