WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone (all Md.) today announced $6,938,832 in federal funding to promote public health and support infectious disease and medical research efforts in Maryland. This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding will be directed to the Maryland Department of Health. 

“As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that we arm ourselves with the data and resources needed to be ready for future public health challenges,” the lawmakers said. “This federal funding is crucial to building our understanding of the environment’s impact on public health and infectious diseases. Team Maryland will continue working to secure federal investments in our state’s medical and health systems.”

Project recipients include:

• $6,323,832 to Maryland Department of Health for Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) to support work across a wide range of infectious disease areas including food and waterborne diseases, antimicrobial resistance, vector-borne diseases, vaccine-preventable diseases, influenza surveillance, and more
• $615,000 to the Maryland Department of Health for Advancing Maryland’s Health through Environmental Public Health Tracking to help us better understand the adverse effects of pollutants such as chemicals and emission on public health

Respectively, funding comes from the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, And Enteric Diseases (CK) and the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) within the CDC.