Sudden End To Oregon’s $117 Million In Federal Covid-Era Grants Will Affect Key Health Initiatives

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), terminated approximately $117 million in federal grants and funding, affecting programs established during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding cuts, announced by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), will likely affect every county in Oregon and all nine federally recognized Tribal communities. They ended over a year before some of the grants were scheduled to end. Behavioral health, public health infrastructure, immunization efforts, and disease surveillance will all be affected.

Included in the terminated grants are:

• Five OHA’s Behavioral Health Division grants, which supported the establishment of the 988 crisis line, intended to address gaps in substance use treatment, prevention, and recovery services, particularly for communities of color, young adults, and veterans.
• Funding for an Equity Office in its Public Health Division that provides technical assistance and training to rural health care providers, Tribes, local public health departments, and community organizations focused on improving health outcomes for communities experiencing health inequities.
• Immunization-related grants that support vaccine-preventable disease work for clinics in local and Tribal communities, provider training, public education, and help desk support for health care providers and the general public.
• Several grants supporting communicable disease response.

OHA has informed the affected parties and indicated it will continue to evaluate the impacts of these terminations, including their legality.