SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District announced that they will benefit from more than $3 billion in federal grants that are aimed at building public health infrastructure.
San Antonio’s health agency said they will receive $25.5 million in grants from the Centers for Disease Control and that the money will be distributed over the next five years.
“I am excited and honored that Metro Health was awarded with a first-of-its-kind grant that will transform the way we operate and build resilience,” Metro Health Director Claude A. Jacob said. “This grant will allow us to fully implement our SA Forward Plan, a critical one for building the workplace, enhancing infrastructure to combat future threats to public health, and providing equal resources throughout Bexar County.”
Metro Health is among more than 100 state, county and local health departments on the CDC’s funding list.
“San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is a critical resource for both San Antonio’s community and environmental health,” Congressman Joaquin Castro said. “These federal funds will help Metro Health modernize its services and hire more personnel to improve our city’s access to health care over the next five years. I look forward to continuing to work with the City of San Antonio to ensure we keep moving forward and that San Antonio families receive the federal support they deserve.”
The press release said the money is supported by the American Rescue Plan Act and the Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce and Data Systems grant. The money will go toward initiatives such as mental health, health care access and efforts to prevent domestic violence.
“We have a very strong Metro Health Department, I think a lot of our community got very familiar with them during the course of the last few years; they do a lot more than just infectious disease prevention. It goes into the heart of prevention and improving public health metrics across the board, and that’s what our five-year plan is all about,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.