Snohomish Health District is the lead agency for COVID-19 community testing and contact tracing, as noted on page 4 of Exhibit A - Snohomish County Emergency Management COVID Recovery Planning. In order to complete this work, additional temporary staff are being hired and essential equipment will be purchased to support contact tracing and testing. Temporary staff include seven disease investigation supervisors, 50 disease investigators, two temporary communication coordinators, four testing site coordinators, and two temporary program assistants. Funds will also be used to purchase cell phones, computers, testing kits, translation services, and advertising.
Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Snohomish County government was provided relief funds, which, by Amended Emergency Ordinance 20-031 (Exhibit B), will be appropriated for COVID-related expenditures. Per this ordinance, SHD will receive $10,906,943. CARES Act funding is separate from other state or federal emergency preparedness and response funds and will be tracked separately. Funds will be used for the specific items that were part of the budget process.
The CARES Act provides that these funds may only be used to cover costs that 1) are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19); 2) were not accounted for in the District’s budget as of March 27, 2020; and 3) were incurred during the period that began on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020. The attached interlocal agreement (Exhibit C) will allow the Health District to receive the designated CARES Act funds from the County.