The FY2018 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill passed on March 23 includes some good news for public health programs, although most programs remain stagnant at the same levels as FY2017. The bill rejects most cuts proposed by the White House, including a $109 million cut to the public health emergency preparedness program and $28 million cut to the hospital preparedness program. The bill also rejected the proposal from the White House to block grant chronic disease programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The bill contains a large ($350 million) increase for opioid funding at CDC and a $10 million increase both for emergency preparedness at CDC and the hospital preparedness program administered by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. The bill preserves funding for the Title X family planning program and teen pregnancy prevention program (TPPP) after HHS announced last summer that the final two years of five year grant funding would be ended unexpectedly.
Full details are available here. Please let me know any questions you have.
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Eli Briggs
Sr. Government Affairs Director
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Washington DC
202-507-4194
ebriggs@naccho.org------------------------------