The Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) has announced an investment of over $176 million in funding, allocated to 48 public health partners. This initiative aims to fortify the public health system throughout the United States.

The funding is designed to empower these partners, including state, local, and territorial health departments, tribal organizations, academic institutions, and private sector collaborators.The goal is to enhance their ability to effectively serve the public and achieve positive health outcomes. The recipients represent a diverse range of sectors, public health specializations, and population groups, bringing together a wide array of expertise crucial for advancing public health.

According to CDC Director Mandy cohen, M.D., M.P.H., “CDC’s public health partners are critical to building trust with communities and providing the essential services and capacity needed to face health threats. today’s proclamation demonstrates the agency’s commitment to building the strong, resilient public health system the nation needs to protect health and save lives.”

The funding is being distributed as part of the National Partners Cooperative Agreement, with the recipient organizations receiving the $176 million for the first year of a 5-year cycle. This financial support will enable partners to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the public health workforce, allowing them to deliver essential services. It will also improve organizational and systems capacity for addressing health priorities and advancing the nation’s public health infrastructure and performance.

Leslie Ann Dauphin, PhD, Director of CDC’s Public health Infrastructure Center, stated, “By working together with our valued partners, we can build a resilient public health system capable of addressing evolving challenges. These awards will help build a strong public health infrastructure with enhanced ability to detect and control diseases, promote healthy lifestyles, and provide essential healthcare services to all communities.”

National Partners Cooperative Agreement

“CDC’s public health partners are critical to building trust with communities and providing the essential services and capacity needed to face health threats.”

The CDC’s objective with the National Partners Cooperative Agreement is to provide funding to organizations that possess the capability, expertise, resources, and national reach necessary to support public health infrastructure and workforce needs. The funding mechanism was established in 2008, and since then, the CDC has awarded over $2.5 billion in funding to more than 70 public health partners. The CDC continues to collaborate with a wide range of partners, both funded and unfunded.

Past recipients of National Partners Cooperative Agreement funds have utilized the resources to support various public health initiatives, including:

• Developing a rural public health curriculum for public health professionals and students interested in improving their skills in rural public health competencies (e.g., social determinants of health in rural communities and finding solutions to rural health disparities).
• Strengthening the infrastructure and capacity of state, territorial, and local health departments to investigate, analyze, and share data on drug overdoses to enhance surveillance efforts.
• Creating a tool and best practices to help community-serving organizations work with schools and parents to improve extensive support for adolescent mental health.

The United States’ public health system is most effective when the federal government collaborates with partner organizations to address emerging outbreaks and other disasters. Approximately 80% of the CDC’s annual domestic budget is allocated to external partners. These partners possess the reach, influence, access, and capabilities to coordinate effective public health responses and strengthen public health systems and services. A key function of public health partners is to provide capacity-building assistance to ensure a capable and efficient public health system and workforce.