CHICAGO – Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has been notified that some COVID-era grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are being terminated, effective March 24, 2025. An abrupt rescission of $125 million in previously awarded grant funds will impact 22 contracts and over 100 staff positions.   

“I am deeply concerned by this attack on funding that directly supports the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable communities,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “As we learned through the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential for us to invest in preventative measures and monitoring to protect our communities from future outbreaks. This funding cut is counterproductive to our mission of keeping our communities safe and healthy. I strongly urge the federal government to restore this critical investment in our local health departments and recommit to protecting our residents.”  

The impacts of these immediate changes in funding are wide ranging and profoundly affect CDPH’s efforts to address critical support to prepare for and respond to future public health emergencies, like measles and H5N1 avian flu. The COVID-era funding, first appropriated under the Trump Administration from the CARES Act, was to equip public health agencies with the necessary funding needed to ensure that Americans never again would be impacted by the lasting impact of a widespread pandemic like COVID-19.    

“The COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on how woefully underfunded public health was and these vital federal funds helped CDPH and other public health agencies around the nation to be better equipped to manage complex health challenges that impact Chicagoans,” said CDPH Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo 'Simbo' Ige, MD, MS, MPH.    

Without this funding, CDPH will no longer have the resources to be able to investigate critical surveillance data and immunization coverage that allows monitoring and rapid response to outbreaks in settings such as schools, health care facilities, and other congregate settings – giving Chicagoans up-to-date information on what diseases are surging. 

The future damage of broad cuts to CDPH and other public health departments nationwide is uncertain, however communities will see fewer immunization clinics and vaccination events; decreased ability to monitor and respond to infectious diseases; less training, testing, and supplies to prevent the spread of diseases in congregate settings like nursing homes, schools, shelters, and daycares; the decreased ability for laboratories to test for emerging and high-impact diseases such as Ebola and H5N1 avian influenza; and more. CDPH 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.  

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