CM Schulman questions OMB on federal funding loss and state support for DOHMH
Schulman asks about risks from loss of federal public health funding. Solomon highlights the reversal of Article 6 public health funding cost shifts worth $60 million annually, and the importance of disease surveillance investments given recent outbreaks and pandemic history.
The executive plan includes a baseline $17.6 million increase to support disease outbreak resilience and sustain core public health functions previously supported through temporary federal grants.
As the federal government continues to reduce funding for New York City, has the state included any funding in its enacted budget for any of DOHMH's programs and services?
Well, one of the things that we were especially proud of this year is that we were able to reverse the Article 6 public health funding cost reversal,
which had existed for many, many years, and we were able to do that, which is worth about $60 million a year to us.
So through our advocacy efforts and through the partnership with the state, we were able to do that.
So that is an example.
of additional state funding for public health.
What assessment has OMB conducted of the potential risks to disease surveillance and outbreak response resulting from the loss of federal public health funding?
Well, I think that's exactly why we thought it was important to make the investments that we made in the executive budget for the disease surveillance, et cetera.
So I think that it's important that we never lose sight of the fact that we're only a handful of years away from a
once-in-a-century pandemic, but we also see outbreaks, whether it's hantavirus, whether it's Ebola.
So we need to make sure we're always in a state of readiness, and that is why we made that investment.
Chair, I just have one more question.
Sure, go ahead.
Thank you.