Public Health Foundation Inc

TO ENHANCE THE HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND RESILIENCE OF EVERY COMMUNITY WE SERVE.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY CAPACITY (ELC) FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES:SINCE 1995, THE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY CAPACITY FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES (ELC) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT HAS BEEN CRITICAL TO U.S. HEALTH DEPARTMENTS' ABILITY TO COMBAT INFECTIOUS DISEASES. WHILE BEGINNING WITH ONLY 10 RECIPIENTS, THAT NUMBER INCREMENTALLY GREW, REACHING THE CURRENT COMPLEMENT OF 64 JURISDICTIONS IN 2012. FOR A QUARTER-CENTURY, THE ELC COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT HAS PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL SUPPORT EACH YEAR TO ALL 50 STATES, SEVERAL LARGE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, AND U.S. TERRITORIES AND AFFILIATES TO DETECT, RESPOND TO, CONTROL, AND PREVENT INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THIS FUNDING FROM 2019-2024 IS TO DETECT, PREVENT AND RESPOND TO THE GROWING THREATS POSED BY INFECTIOUS DISEASE THROUGH THREE CORE AREAS: SURVEILLANCE, DETECTION AND RESPONSE; PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION AND COMMUNICATIONS, COORDINATION AND PARTNERSHIPS. THROUGH THIS FUNDING, HELUNA HEALTH HAS PARTNERED WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SINCE 1995 TO BOTH BUILD AND STRENGTHEN PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS RELATED TO COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN CALIFORNIA.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY CAPACITY (ELC) FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES-REOPENING SCHOOLS:WITH FUNDING FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021 (P.L. 117-2) UNDER THE ELC REOPENING SCHOOLS AWARD, HELUNA HEALTH HAS PARTNERED WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO SUPPORT COMPREHENSIVE COVID-19 SCREENING FOR K-12 SCHOOLS (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE). A KEY GOAL OF THIS NATIONAL INITIATIVE HAS BEEN TO ESTABLISH COVID-19 SCREENING PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS AROUND THE COUNTRY STARTING IN APRIL 2021. THIS APPROACH ALSO ENCOURAGES CONTINUITY AND ENHANCEMENT OF EXISTING COVID-RELATED ACTIVITIES, MAINTAINS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S INTEGRAL ROLE IN THE SCREENING ECOSYSTEM, BUILDS UPON THE WORK ALREADY BEGUN UNDER ELC ENHANCING DETECTION (ED) AND ELC ED EXPANSION SUPPLEMENTS, AND ENSURES A HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF DISEASE BURDEN WITHIN ANY GIVEN COMMUNITY.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY CAPACITY (ELC) FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES-COVID-19 SCHOOL-BASED TESTING IN K-12 SCHOOLS:HELUNA HEALTH AND THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONTRACTED DURING THE HEIGHT OF COVID-19 TO UNDERTAKE RESPONSE EFFORTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN TO ENABLE K-12 SCHOOLS IN LA COUNTY TO ESTABLISH COVID-19 SCREENING PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT IN-PERSON LEARNING IN LA COUNTY. HELUNA HEALTH DIRECTLY SUPPORTS K-12 PRIVATE, INDEPENDENT, DISTRICTS, AND CHARTER ORGANIZATIONS IN THEIR TESTING EFFORTS THROUGH VARIOUS SUPPORT MECHANISMS. THESE HAVE INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: 1. PROVIDING WEEKLY ONSITE TESTING SUPPORT THROUGH ONE OF OUR DESIGNATED VENDORS 2. PROVIDING FREE TEST KITS TO SCHOOL SITES THAT HAVE A PRE-ESTABLISHED TESTING PLAN IMPLEMENTED (BOTH PROFESSIONAL TEST KITS USED ON SCHOOL CAMPUSES AND OTC TEST KITS THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED FOR AT HOME USE) AND 3. ALLOCATING FUNDING TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS WITH EXISTING SCHOOL-BASED TESTING PROGRAMS.