The Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Services suddenly canceled more than $ 12 billion of federal scholarships for states that have been used to track infectious diseases, mental health services, addiction treatment and other urgent health issues.
The discounts are likely to increase the state’s health departments in the knee strings, which are Indeed, lack of funding and Struggle Competitive demands of chronic diseases, and ended infections such as syphilis and emerging threats such as bird flu.
Governmental health departments began receiving notifications on Monday evening that the money, which was allocated during the Covid-19, was ended, effectively effectively.
The notifications said: “No additional activities can be made, and no additional costs may be incurred, in terms of their connection with these boxes.”
For some, the effect was immediate.
In Lubok, Texas, public health officials have received orders to stop the work with the support of three grants that helped financing the response to the broad measles outbreak there, according to Catherine Wales, the city General Health Director.
On Tuesday, some government health departments were preparing to remove dozens of epidemics and data scientists. Others, including Texas and Maine and Roses Island, were still scrambling to understand the effects of discounts before taking any action.
In the interviews, state health officials predicted that thousands of employees of the Ministry of Health and contract workers may lose their jobs at the country level. Some expected to lose up to 90 percent of employees from some infectious diseases teams.
“The truth is that when we take funding away from public health systems, the systems do not have ability, because they suffer from a chronic shortage over the decades,” said Dr. Omer Shah, who served as Minister of Health in Washington State until January.
Discounts news It was reported for the first time By NBC.
The suspended grants include about $ 11.4 billion in diseases and prevention control centers, in addition to about one billion dollars from the Department of Narcotics and Mental Health Services, known as SAMHSA
Congress has authorized money for state public health programs as part of relief laws. The funds were already used at the beginning for testing and vaccination against the Corona virus, as well as to address healthy variations in the population at risk.
But last year, Money has also been allowed to provide other urgent public health concerns, including testing and monitoring other respiratory viruses, a set of vaccines for children or unbelievable adults and prepared for health emergencies.
On Tuesday, Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Federal Humanitarian Services, said in a statement: “The Covid-19 pandemic has ended, and HHS will not be lost billions of taxpayers taxes that respond to an unaware epidemic that the Americans have not passed for years.”
The Trump administration’s cancellation of grants and contracts across the government led to many lawsuits and non -profit groups, which are still in its early stages. The health grants concerned have been declared and dedicated by Congress, and their termination may lead to new lawsuits. Several states said they explore legal options.
“We will continue to assess full effects and we are in contact with the office of the Public Prosecutor and the other 49 states facing similar challenges,” said Massachusetts of Massachusetts.
The surplus funds were a blessing for public health departments that suffer from financial hardship seeking to update their loud systems.
For example, Alaska applied some money to buy laboratory equipment and update electronic records, so that the patient’s details were no longer needed manually. Other countries were building systems to link monitoring data from hospitals and laboratories to health departments.
Old data systems Response impeded In many states to Covid and MPOX outbreaks.
“We have had the opportunity to update some of these things that strongly need to update to obtain a more efficient public health response,” said Dr. Ann Zenk, who drained the position of chief medical officials in Alaska in August.
But now, with the granting of grants, the project will remain incomplete, and the dollars of taxes invested may be lost so far.
In some states, money also helped study chronic diseases, whose presence increases the risk of severe results and death from the Corona virus.
SAMHSA money was not allocated to Covid programs, and it was intended to address mental health and drug problems. The epidemic led to the feeling of extensive unit, boredom and anxiety, the factors that contributed to increasing the number of deaths of up to 111,000 in 2022, up from about 70,000 in 2019.
Excess dose numbers fell to about 87,000 in the 12 -month period that ended in October, according to the latest federal data. Some of the most severe declines in states such as Western Virginia, Michigan and Tennessee, all of which supported President Trump in the presidential elections.
Brian Hepburn, Executive Director of Mental Health Programs for Patriotic Manager, said that many states have also applied their money to build 988 suicidal life lines and other crisis services. But the countries understood that the financing was subject to time restrictions, so that a few of them used it to finance the ongoing services.
In Colorado, the additional funds dating back to the Kofid era supported about 60 programs, including those with crises response teams; Services for adults with severe mental illnesses and young people who suffer from an early start of psychotic disorders; Poilizers support for people who recover from drug addiction and alcohol. Colorado had committed its remaining money worth $ 31.5 million to support the provider of these services.
Danit t said. Smith, Commissioner of the Kolurado behavioral health department: “In many cases, these are programs and services to rescue life, and we are worried about throwing those who have reached this support.”
The grants from SAMHSA were scheduled to end in September, but some natural grants were supposed to continue from the Center for Disease Control until 2026 and 2027.
“This is early, with no notice that it is clear that it is clear that it is clear that the grants are clear.”
Some states, such as Kentucky and South Carolina, depend greatly on federal financing to manage their health programs, while others, such as New Jersey and California, depend less. However, most people and data systems that track diseases are funded by CDC
One of the officials with the close knowledge of the influence, who asked his name because they are afraid to add a number of positions, “one of the employees said with a close knowledge of the influence, who asked his name because they are afraid that they would fear the Trump administration:” There are no opportunities to transfer people to other means, there are no opportunities even for the state government, “in our next budget cycle, we will add the number of x positions.”
The official said: “There are millions of dollars that have been spent mainly, the projects will never be able to finish,” the official said. “This is just like throwing money from the window; it’s a total waste.”
Teddy RosnbolsThe reports contributed.
