The Biden administration said Thursday that it would put $1.6 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan passed in March toward boosting testing and mitigation efforts across a number of vulnerable communities, from homeless people to those with mental health and substance use disorders.
“As COVID-19 cases rise among unvaccinated people and where the more transmissible Delta virus variant is surging, this funding will expand activities to detect, diagnose, trace, and monitor infections and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in homeless shelters, treatment and recovery facilities, domestic violence shelters and federal, state and local correctional facilities– some of the hardest hit and highest risk communities across the country,” the Department of Health and Human Services said.
The White House also said it would send about $100 million in funding to rural health clinics to promote vaccination outreach efforts. "This funding will give trusted messengers in rural communities the tools they need to counsel patients on how COVID-19 vaccines can help protect them and their loved ones," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
