Austin Public Health (APH) utilized Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) funds to support public health emergency response prior to the receipt of the COVID-19 Crisis Response funds by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The COVID-19 response was coordinated with the City of Austin and Travis County partners including emergency management, public safety, volunteer organizations active in a disaster, the regional healthcare coalition, and community organizations. The timely award of the COVID-19 Crisis Response funds allowed Austin Public Health (APH) to maximize collaborations and resources, and respond promptly, mitigating potential morbidity and mortality through response coordination, public education, testing, personal protective equipment distribution, community outreach, and surveillance. APH recognizes the efficiencies of a timely allocation of public health crisis response funds and respectfully requests to be included on the CDC Public Health Response Cooperative Agreement list of approved, but unfunded health departments. If an awardee of CDC Public Health Response Cooperative Agreement funding, APH will utilize the funding to respond to a public health emergency by implementing processes, strategies, activities, and evaluations to achieve clear outcomes that work to prevent or reduce morbidity and mortality for the Austin/Travis County area. This funding will allow APH to return to work towards returning to regular operations and assisting the community in all levels of response including transitioning back to pre-incident, with a focus on equity, access and functional needs, and those most vulnerable.
