WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of U.S. Senator Angus King today announced the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has awarded the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) $6,552,614 to prevent and control emerging diseases including COVID-19. The funding is being awarded through the CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases program (ELC), which provides financial support and technical assistance to the nation’s health departments to support their efforts to detect, prevent, and respond to emerging infectious diseases.

“COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our society. We should do everything possible to not only address the existing pandemic, but also ensure that we are prepared for the next public health crisis,” said Senator King. “These funds from the CDC will boost our efforts to defeat this pandemic once and for all, as well as build out the public health infrastructure needed to protect our people against any future threats to come. I’m so grateful for the tireless work of the Maine DHHS throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and look forward to their continued efforts with this significant new funding.”

The funding will be used by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for pandemic surveillance, detection, and response; prevention and intervention; along with communications, coordination, and partnerships. Since 1995, the ELC has distributed funding to local and state health departments prevent pandemics and bolster emergency response efforts, such as those for the influenza H1N1, Zika, and Ebola epidemics, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator King has worked to provide Maine with the resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped negotiate the American Rescue Plan which passed 50-49 in March, and included $160 billion in essential funding to directly address the COVID-19 pandemic, giving the state vital aid to control the virus and vaccinate Maine people. Senator King also worked with a bipartisan group to negotiate and pass the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act which authorized $2 trillion to protect the health and the livelihoods of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, including $1 billion for healthcare institutions on the frontlines of the pandemic.