The Allegheny County Health Department is among the recipients of $98 million in federal funding for public health services, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Tuesday. The money, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Infrastructure grant program, will be used over a five-year period to expand public health infrastructure, including hiring, workforce training and updating technology and data programs.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health said plans for what the money would be used for were still being developed and it would be a few weeks until more was known.

The program is supported by the American Rescue Plan Act instituted by the Biden Administration in 2021 to support small businesses and provide emergency funding to institutions, individuals and governments. Also as part of the funding, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is receiving an additional allocation of more than $18 million. The Allegheny County Health Department is one of 10 county and municipal health departments listed to receive funding.

While the county did not yet know how much money it would be getting, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said in an email that it would be notified when the final budget was determined.

A spokesperson from the state health department added that the funding would “provide opportunities for the department to make critical investments needed to provide comprehensive public health services to all Pennsylvanians.”

Dr. Denise Johnson, acting secretary of health and physician general, said in a news release about the grant money: “In addition to focusing on public health workforce development efforts, we will be able to implement responsive and reliable data systems to help ensure the public is prepared for the future by accelerating prevention and preparedness efforts.”

First Published: December 21, 2022, 12:22 a.m.