For Immediate Release

Contact:
Andrea Grenadier
Marketing and Communications
Direct: 202.888.0229
Cell: 703.624.4557
[email protected]

Washington, DC, August 19, 2019—The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion, has awarded 25 local health departments funding to enhance infectious disease prevention and control in high-risk facilities through the Building Local Operational Capacity for COVID-19 (BLOC COVID-19) demonstration site project.

The project is designed to enhance local capacity to prevent and respond to COVID-19 by building health department capacity in infection prevention and control (IPC), supporting identified high-risk facilities by conducting in-person or virtual IPC assessments, and expanding collaboration and coordination between health departments and community infection prevention partners.

The BLOC COVID-19 project supports health departments in their work to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases in healthcare settings, including COVID-19, by increasing capacity to identify and address gaps in IPC practices such as hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, and proper environmental cleaning.

Award recipients will build their local capacity to conduct infection prevention and control assessments in healthcare settings, identify gaps in IPC practices within facilities, and provide technical assistance to support improvement of IPC practices.

Local health departments awardees are:

• Calhoun County Health Department (IL)
• City of El Paso Public Health (TX)
• City of New Haven Health Department (CT)
• Contra Costa Health Services (CA)
• Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health (NY)
• Evanston Department of Health and Human Services (IL)
• Farmington Valley Health District (CT)
• Fort Bend County Health & Human Services (TX)
• Hamilton County Public Health (OH)
• Hennepin County Public Health (MN)
• Ingham County Health Department (MI)
• Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center (IL)
• Lincoln-Lancaster Health Department (NE)
• Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (KY)
• Mahaska Health (IA)
• Pima County Health Department (AZ)
• Florida Department of Health in Polk County (FL)
• Prince George’s County Health Department (MD)
• Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (VA)
• San Juan Basin Public Health (CO)
• Sangamon County Department of Public Health (IL)
• Public Health - Seattle and King County (WA)
• Stark County Health Department (OH)
• West Hartford / Bloomfield Health District (CT)
• Williamson County and Cities Health District (TX)

These local health departments will implement this project through July 2021.