Rep. Cuellar Announces $21.5 Million in Federal Funding to Support Public Health Infrastructure in San Antonio

San Antonio, TX - U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced $21,543,094 for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District to support the improvement of public health infrastructure.

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District will utilize the federal funding to modernize the health department and fund the SA Forward Plan - a response plan to COVID-19 - to improve public health infrastructure. The funding will support SA Forward's six focus areas: access to care; data and technology infrastructure; food insecurity and nutrition, health equity and social justice, mental health and community resilience, and violence prevention.

"The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to upgrade much of our public health infrastructure," said Congressman Cuellar. "Thanks to the CDC's vision, this new groundbreaking grant program will help us fulfill many of the health necessities in our community by providing the necessary improvements to better promote and protect health in San Antonio. I want to thank the CDC, San Antonio's U.S. House Delegation, and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District for prioritizing the health of all Americans and taking the necessary steps to meet modern day demands."

"We thank Congressman Cuellar for making sure that San Antonio was included in this first round of public health workforce funding. These federal dollars will make it possible for kids to see a nurse at school, for seniors to see a doctor at home, and for all of us to receive quality healthcare in our community," said Elizabeth "Liz" Campos, Texas State Representative.

"I would like to personally thank Congressman Cuellar for his tireless work on economically and socially marginalized communities. The Public Health Infrastructure Grant provides funding to state and local health departments to help improve their public health infrastructure. This grant will help address the historic underinvestment in communities in my District (D120) that are economically and socially marginalized communities, and communities comprised of high-risk and underserved populations. This is a much-needed tool and the CDC will now be able to provide direct support to public health agencies and deliver future resources for data modernization and foundational infrastructure. Again, to my friend Henry - I say thank you for caring and supporting my communities," said Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Texas State Representative.

"This historic $21.5 million dollar investment in San Antonio's health systems will drive innovation and change to improve services provided to our community," said State Representative John Lujan. "These dollars will be used to recruit, retain, and support our local healthcare workforce to ensure that we are prepared to respond and prevent future health threats. This investment is critical to building a strong foundation of support for our local, state, and national public health workforce and infrastructure," said John Lujan, Texas State Representative.

The CDC hopes to award an additional $4 million for a total of $25.5 million, but that will depend on future appropriations. In total, the Texas Department of Health Services received a total of $146,769,640.

This first-of-its-kind grant, awarded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides funding for local health departments to help them work towards ensuring that they have the people, services, and systems they need to promote and protect health in their communities. For more information on the CDC's Public Health Infrastructure Grant Program, click here.