DPH gives update on budget, prep for possible second virus wave
In a virtual Appropriations Committee hearing Friday afternoon, Connecticut Department of Public Health officials assured state lawmakers that federal dollars have covered COVID-19 initiatives and they don’t anticipate needing the General Fund for expenditures.
Acting DPH Commissioner Deidre Gifford said the federal government was flexible at the beginning of the pandemic in allowing staff who were federally funded for other programs to switch to coronavirus-related activities.
While the CARES Act included some funding for infection control and surveillance, Gifford said the most significant funding is the $182 million cooperative agreement that Connecticut received, which is funding most contact tracing along with some testing and some laboratory improvements.
She said that agreement includes $20 million earmarked for local health districts for contact tracing; some money will be distributed on a per-capita basis and some based on where incidences of COVID-19 are highest.
Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, asked if the department is receiving any one-time revenues that will create a budget hole moving forward, and Gifford said that while expenses are “a pretty fluid situation,” she doesn’t anticipate budget holes.
Chuma Amechi, fiscal administrative manager, said the department has received about $208 million across various federal agencies, and he doesn’t anticipate a budget deficit because plans were made based on available funding.
Planning for a potential second wave
The topic of the hearing was listed as being about the fiscal impact of COVID-19 on the DPH budget, but much of the conversation also centered on preparations for a potential second wave of the coronavirus in the fall.
In response to a question from Rep. Kathleen McCarty, R-Waterford, about certified nursing assistant staffing levels, Gifford and Barbara Cass, chief of the health care quality and safety branch, talked about a new program for temporary nurse aides.
Cass explained that CNA training is 100 hours but the free training for the temporary nurse aide position, which is uncertified, is eight hours online. She said 35 people have received their certificates of completion so far.
Cass and Gifford indicated there isn’t currently much demand for this type of worker, but they want to be prepared in case there’s a second wave.
Sen. Cathy Osten, DSprague, asked if there are plans for point-of-care testing at dentists’ and doctors’ offices in Connecticut, and got the response that the department is working on that.
Rep. Patricia Dillon, D-New Haven, expressed worries over accessibility of flu vaccines in the fall, and Rep. William Petit, R-Plainville, asked if plans are being made for drive-thru flu clinics.
State Epidemiologist Matthew Cartter said there’s been a lot of thinking along those lines and drive-thru clinics “would certainly be a possibility.” He said he’s “very concerned” about the difficulty of getting people vaccinated — for the flu, and for childhood preventable diseases — in the fall, if coronavirus activity picks up again.
DPH Deputy Commissioner Heather Aaron provided an update on the request for proposals for a third party to do an independent review of the pandemic response in Connecticut’s nursing homes, which Gov. Ned Lamont ordered on June 8.
Aaron said the department received seven proposals, and that a committee would send its recommendation to Gifford by the end of the day Friday.
She said the company will compare data from across the country, and this will show the state “whether there are things we need to do differently, in the event of a second wave.” The first draft of the report and recommendations is supposed to be submitted Aug. 15.
In response to a question from Formica, Aaron said the company being recommended to Gifford is not a Connecticut firm. She explained that most of the companies that applied are ones DPH has dealt with before, and the committee wanted “to make sure there was someone that would have no bias in working with the department, to make sure we can get a report that can stand up without criticism.”