The Chicago Department of Public Health said Friday that it will lose $125 million in federal funds earmarked to prepare for and respond to future public health emergencies. [Health News Illinois]

The agency said the cuts will impact 22 contracts and over 100 staff positions. Specifically, it said the cuts would impact surveillance data and immunization coverage, allowing monitoring and rapid response to outbreaks in settings such as schools, healthcare facilities and other congregate settings.

CDPH said it is working with other government agencies to “determine and understand the full impact on how the immediate cuts will affect the public health scope of work and the communities and individuals in need.”

“This funding cut is counterproductive to our mission of keeping our communities safe and healthy,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “I strongly urge the federal government to restore this critical investment in our local health departments and recommit to protecting our residents.” 

The state’s Department of Public Health said last week it will lose $125 million in federal funds for similar efforts and $324 million over the next two years. The Department of Human Services said it will lose $28 million in federal funds to support behavioral health and substance use disorder services.

The New York Times reports that the Department of Health and Human Services abruptly canceled more than $12 billion in federal grants to states, which were being used to track infectious diseases, mental health services, addiction treatment and other urgent health issues.

HHS said the funds were used mainly for COVID-19 testing, vaccination and other responses to the pandemic, and they “will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”

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