Posting Language
Title
Approve an ordinance amending the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Austin Public Health Department Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund (Ordinance No. 20230816-008) to accept and appropriate $486,203 in grant funds from the Texas Department of State Health Services for disease surveillance and reporting.
De
Lead Department
Austin Public Health.
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $486,203 is available from the Texas Department of Health Services. A City funding match is not required. A fiscal note is attached.
Prior Council Action:
September 30, 2021 - Council approved Ordinance No. 20210930-056 amending the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Austin Public Health Department Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund (Ordinance No. 20210811-001) to accept and appropriate $648,271 in additional grant funds from the Texas Department of State Health Services to support the COVID-19 Epidemiology and Lab Capacity Grant on consent on Council Member Kitchen's motion, Council Member Ellis' second on an 11-0 vote.
July 29, 2020 - Council approved Ordinance No. 20200729-46 amending the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Austin Public Health Department Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund (Ordinance No. 20190910-001) to accept and appropriate $518,617 in grant funds from the Texas Department of State Health Services to support the Coronavirus 2019 epidemiology response. Approved on consent on Mayor Pro Tem Garza’s motion, Council Member Pool's second on a 10-0 vote. Mayor Adler was off the dais.
For More Information:
Adrienne Sturrup, Director, (512) 972-5010; Janet Pichette, Assistant Director, (512) 845-2499; Heather Cooks-Sinclair, Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit Manager (512) 972-5804; Juanita Jackson, Business Process Consultant (512) 972-6163.
Additional Backup Information:
The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) allocated additional funds for the COVID Epidemiology and Lab Capacity Grant to assist the City of Austin, Austin Public Health (APH) to conduct disease surveillance and reporting activities for a variety of high-consequence diseases, including COVID.
Building on and continuing the ongoing activities funded through the COVID Epidemiology and Lab Capacity Grant, the expansion provides funds to transition our current COVID-19 surveillance from active surveillance (counting cases) to passive surveillance (trend analyses and other indicators). Staff will develop and implement systems based on best practices to monitor respiratory viruses, including COVID, to expand our current respiratory virus surveillance.
The additional $486,203 to be spent by July 31, 2026, will extend personnel and fringe budget line items for 3 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions through July 31, 2026, and increase training, travel, and supplies. The additional funding brings the grant award to $1,653,091 from August 31, 2020.
The General Fund will not be required to contribute additional funds beyond those currently budgeted to this grant. When the grant funds expire, the department’s need for continuing funding will be evaluated and may be denied.