White House to invest $7.4B to hire, train public health workers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will use $7.4 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act to recruit and hire public health workers to respond to the pandemic and prepare for future public health challenges, the White House announced yesterday.

The funding includes $3.4 billion for state and local public health departments to expand staff; $3 billion for community health workers and others hired for the COVID-19 response to continue their careers beyond the pandemic; $400 million for CDC and AmeriCorps to launch a Public Health AmeriCorps; and $337 million to build the public health laboratory workforce, among other initiatives.