Title
a. Receive a report from Health Department on closing budget gaps attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
b. Support the request for allocation of resources to fund the non-reimbursable costs of the County's continuing activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the period from January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Budget Committee of the Board of Supervisors:
a. Receive a report from Health Department on closing budget gaps attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
b. Support the request for allocation of resources to fund the non-reimbursable costs of the County's continuing activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the period from January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Health Department is and has been actively involved in the County's COVID-19 response activities. These include the County Health Officer and issuance of his orders, testing, contact tracing, case investigation, review of industry guidance, community education, and other public health strategies. Many of these efforts are being led by staff in the Public Health Bureau (PHB), where the most significant budget pressures have arisen.
At the October 28, 2020 presentation of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-20 Budget End of Year Report, the Budget Office reported on budget gaps identified at the Health Department for FY 2020-21 that are attributable to COVID-19 and requested that the Department return to this Committee to present strategies to close said gaps.
Since the declaration of the COVID-19 emergency, Health Department staff have worked closely with the Budget Office to identify and quantify any potential fiscal impacts. The initial update provided to the Budget Office estimated potential funding gaps of $2.92M in the PHB, and $1.4M in the Behavioral Health Bureau (BHB). However, the unrelenting nature of the pandemic and continued surge in cases have worsened the financial forecast in the...
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