How is ND using American Rescue Plan money to fight Covid-19?

WASHINGTON & BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) – Many health organizations like the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention say getting vaccinated for the coronavirus is the best way to get the pandemic behind us.

The American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Biden in March gave $1.9 trillion in relief, in part, to help beat the virus.

“The American Rescue Plan dedicated resources to go support community-based organizations, faith-based organizations in rural America and urban America to make sure these folks are able to be having these one-on-one conversations. They’re building vaccine confidence. It’s important that we get people to talk to people they trust,” White House Vaccinations Coordinator Dr. Bechara Choucair said.

That includes nearly $5 million to the Family Healthcare Center in Fargo and nearly $2 million to Spectra Health in Grand Forks.

That’s separate from North Dakota receiving $3.2 billion from the American Rescue Plan. The legislature has control over, and will allocate, $1.12 billion of that money.

As part of Governor Doug Burgum’s Accelerate ND plan to do just that, he recommends the legislature use $134 million for emergency response and health care. That includes $30 million to renovate the state’s Public Health Lab where Covid-19 tests are being processed. The governor would like the majority of the more than $1 billion to be used for infrastructure and tax relief.

“Safe, effective vaccines remain our best tool for preserving hospital capacity and ensuring access to care,” Burgum said in a statement

The Biden Administration agrees.

“One person at a time. And the way I look at it, Every time there’s one more shot in a person’s arm, that’s one more person that’s safer and that’s one more community that’s one step closer to be able to put the pandemic behind us,” Choucair said.