San Diego County loses $40M in funds just before new public health lab opens
According to the release, the county was notified just last week that the CDC would pull back on multiple funding streams that were previously awarded through fiscal year 2025-2026.
The impacted streams fall under the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) program, the Immunization and Vaccines for Children program, and the COVID-19 Health Disparities Grant.
Local research on HIV, suicide prevention impacted by NIH grant cuts
Lawson-Remer said the county was awarded $174 million, but recently learned that $40 million will no longer be available 'due to the CDC's abrupt 30-day closeout period.'
The announcement comes just weeks before the county was preparing to debut its new Public Health Lab in May. The project was first announced years ago, and is slated to open in Kearny Mesa.
The $93 million, 52,000-square-foot project was designed to expand the county's response to transmissible diseases and reduce the need for out-of-county corporate labs.
It was funded, in part, by local dollars. However, the county supervisor said the lab needs federal support to ensure the facility will be able to provide services as planned.
'We built the lab. We planned responsibly. We kept our end of the deal. Now the federal government is walking away from theirs — and San Diego families are the ones paying the price,' said Lawson-Remer. 'This isn't just bad policy — it's sabotage disguised as efficiency, and it leaves San Diego taxpayers holding the bill.'
The grants were meant to support $17 million in capital costs as well as lab equipment.
Over 90 public health positions have been impacted by the cuts, according to the release.
A few of the programs now at risk due to the lack of funding, according to Lawson-Remer, are a mobile testing unit for community outbreaks, in-shelter flu and hepatitis vaccinations, public health data system and staffing for epidemiologists and health investigators.
The loss of grant funding underscores the local need for public health services. The county announced a large hepatitis A outbreak in March 2017, with some cases traced back to November 2016. Due to the scale of the outbreak, the county declared a local health emergency on Sept. 1, 2017.
Before it officially was declared over on Jan. 23, 2018, the outbreak resulted in nearly 600 cases and 20 deaths.
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