The Biden-Harris Administration late Friday announced a $2.1 billion investment geared toward infection prevention and control activities in nursing homes, among other U.S. public health and health care sectors.
In October, $500 million of the initial $1.25 billion issued will go toward the staffing, training and deployment of state-based nursing home and long-term care “strike teams,” according to a statement issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDC said it will partner with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow state and other health departments to send out teams to help facilities with “known or suspected COVID-19 outbreaks.”
Teams will coordinate surge capacity for facility clinical services, address staffing shortages, along with infection prevention and control activities.
Another $385 million, also to be issued in October, will help state, local and territorial health departments with infectious disease prevention and control capacity; fund laboratory surveillance for emerging pathogens; expand Project Firstline, an infection prevention and control educational program for frontline health care workers; increase data monitoring via National Healthcare Safety network (NHSN); and address health disparities related to antibiotic use.
In the next several years, the remaining $880 million will be used to aid health care partners, academic institutions and other non-profit organizations develop new ways to prevent infection and control outbreaks, CDC stated.
Data collection and technical assistance will also be funded by the remaining $880 million.
The investment will impact 15,400 nursing homes, CDC said, along with 6,000 hospitals, 7,900 dialysis clinics and 4,700 ambulatory surgery centers, as well as outpatient settings.
