Feds rescind $125M in previously awarded grants to Chicago health department

CHICAGO (WGN) — The loss of $125 million in previously awarded grant funds will mean the Chicago Department of Public Health will no longer have the resources to monitor and respond quickly to outbreaks of diseases like measles and influenza in schools and other local facilities, officials say.

The health department on Friday said it had been notified that the Trump administration, through the Department of Health and Human Services, rescinded the COVID-era grants effective Monday.

“I am deeply concerned by this attack on funding that directly supports the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable communities,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a written statement. “As we learned through the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential for us to invest in preventative measures and monitoring to protect our communities from future outbreaks. This funding cut is counterproductive to our mission of keeping our communities safe and healthy.”

The mayor strongly urged the federal government to reconsider and restore the investment, which the CDPH said affects 22 contracts and more than 100 staff positions.

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The COVID-era funding, first appropriated under the Trump administration from the CARES Act, aimed to equip public health agencies with the tools necessary to prevent Americans from being impacted by the lasting impact of a widespread pandemic like COVID-19.

CDPH said the cuts will mean fewer immunization clinics and vaccination events, a decreased ability to monitor and respond to outbreaks, and less training and testing and fewer supplies to prevent the spread of disease.