79 organizations applaud American Rescue Package Attention to Public Health and Call for Emphasis on Health Equity in Funding Decisions

Washington, DC (March 24) – In a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, seventy-nine health, public health, equity, civil rights, and human welfare organizations urged that funding for public health response activities provided through the American Rescue Plan Act prioritize communities of color and tribal communities, groups that have been disproportionately affected by the health and economic hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disparities in infection rates, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccination rates between Black, Latinx, Asian and Pacific Islander, members of Tribal nations, immigrant, and white populations illustrate the impact of the historical and continuing lack of resources directed to the communities hardest hit by the pandemic, resulting in a higher health and economic burden for those populations.

The letter, co-led by American Public Health Association, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, and Trust for America’s Health, called upon HHS and CDC to ensure that a significant portion of the American Rescue Plan Act funding is directed to specialized efforts by local, state, tribal and territorial public health agencies, working with community-based organizations, to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to address the impact of COVID-19.