Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), awarded nearly $583 million to 1,385 health centers, including Shenandoah Community Health (SCH), as part of a historic U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding supports health centers’ ability to detect, prevent, diagnose, and treat COVID-19 while also helping to maintain or increase health center capacity and staff. Further, the funding may be used to expand the range of testing and testing-related activities to best address the needs of their local communities, including the purchase of personal protective equipment; training for staff, outreach, procurement and administration of tests; laboratory services; notifying identified contacts of infected health center patients of their exposure to COVID-19; and the expansion of walk-up or drive-up testing capabilities.
SCH Chief Executive Officer, Michael Hassing, says "We are grateful to HHS for their support and recognition of SCH as a frontline defense against COVID-19. This new resource comes at a time when the desire and ability to conduct testing is rapidly expanding. SCH is actively planning for the best use of these resources and have reached out to the Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan County Health Departments. Throughout this crisis, SCH staff have been exemplary in their attitudes and service to the community. Their dedication to the residents of the Eastern Panhandle is unparalleled.
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