FEMA AWARDS ALMOST $1.7 MILLION TO MASSACHUSETTS FOR COVID PUBLIC
OUTREACH COSTS
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20240109/fema-awards-almost-1-7-million-massachusetts-covid-public-outreach-costs]


Release Date: 
January 10, 2024 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $1.7
million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the cost of contracting
to operate a public information clearinghouse during the COVID-19
pandemic.

The $1,663,104 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Department
of Public Health for the cost of contracting to run a contact center
for Massachusetts residents to get accurate, up-to-date information
relevant to a wide-range of COVID-19 related topics between July 2022
and May 2023.

These topics included pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical
interventions such as distancing, hygiene, masking, vaccination,
pre-exposure prophylaxis, isolation and quarantine requirements, and
support. 

“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the Massachusetts Department
of Public Health with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional
Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Reimbursing state, county, and
municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal
entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an
important part of our nation’s ongoing recovery.”

FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding
for states and communities recovering from a federally declared
disaster or emergency.

So far, FEMA has provided more than $2.6 billion in Public Assistance
grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for
pandemic-related expenses.