Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC)
Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreement awards annual funding to state, local, and territorial health departments to:
- Improve laboratory capacity to support vector-borne disease surveillance;
- Improve completeness and timeliness of vector-borne disease surveillance reporting;
- Improve ecologic surveillance;
- Increase availability of timely and accurate information on vector-borne disease risk and prevention;
- Identify faster and more completely vector-borne disease outbreaks; and
- Better prepare the workforce to identify, diagnose, report, prevent, and respond to vector-borne disease cases and outbreaks.
Strengthening HAI/AR Program
These funds are broadly intended to provide critical resources to state, local, and territorial health departments in support of a broad range of healthcare infection prevention and control (IPC) activities and epidemiologic surveillance-related activities to detect, monitor, mitigate, and prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 in healthcare settings. These funds may also reasonably address other conditions in healthcare settings, such as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AR), which rely upon the same fundamental IPC and epidemiologic surveillance approaches that are used to detect, monitor, mitigate, and prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Moreover, the prevention of AR pathogens and improving the appropriate use of antibiotics help to protect COVID patients from complications and potential comorbidities.
Nursing Home & Long-term Care Facility Strike Team and Infrastructure Award:
This award is being issued as a program-initiated component funding under Project E: Emerging Issues of CK19-1904, henceforth ‘Nursing Home & Long-term Care Facility Strike Team and Infrastructure Project. The intention of this funding is to assist recipients with supporting long-term care facilities during their response to SARS-CoV-2 infections, and also to build and maintain the infection prevention infrastructure necessary to support resident, visitor, and facility healthcare personnel safety. Nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities) are the primary target for these funds. Other infectious diseases and conditions may be reasonably addressed to the extent they are in support of or related to work to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Monitoring the indicators associated with these activities will assist state, local, and territorial health departments to better understand and meet the needs of these facilities, as well as help define the scope and magnitude of infectious disease outbreaks in these settings.