LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis regarding supporting President Joe Biden’s request for $26.9 billion in funding from Congress to combat COVID-19 and monkeypox.
Supervisor Solis’s motion comes days after meeting with President Biden’s administration in Washington, D.C. on the critical need for emergency supplemental resources such as vaccine administration management and outreach, testing, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation, and building data systems to support local community providers in the County.
“With winter a few months away and the prospect of another surge facing us, it’s imperative we get the support needed to meet this need. This is especially critical given the new COVID-19 boosters we’ve just received ─ extensive outreach and vaccination is needed ahead of the winter months. Additionally, critical resources are needed to bolster our efforts to combat monkeypox. Through President Biden’s actions, our County has received vital vaccinations, testing, and treatments. But current supplies will only meet the need of approximately half of the residents who are currently defined as at-risk. To successfully end this current outbreak and prepare for future outbreaks, additional funding will be needed to support testing, treatment, vaccination, and community engagement efforts,” said Supervisor Solis.
The motion passed today directs the County’s Chief Executive Office – Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations Branch, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health and the Department of Health Services, to send a five-signature letter to the White House and Congress in support of the President’s ask for $26.9 billion from Congress to combat COVID-19 and monkeypox as part of a federal funding bill.
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