SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Onondaga County is receiving nearly $6 million in fellowship grants to help the county combat future public health crises.
The $5,859,670 in grants from the New York State Department of Health will help the county better prepare for the next pandemic by having researchers help leaders make more informed decisions.
“[Onondaga County will] be able to pay [fellows] to research, get some data that they will pool that data around the state, and then be able to give recommendations to lawmakers like me, the governor, state leaders, etc. so we can do the best job we possibly can,” said Julie Abbott-Kenan, Onondaga County Legislator.
The county expects to hire up to 30 fellows over the next two years, with a handful potentially coming from programs like SUNY Upstate Medical University.
The pandemic has also forced the county to adjust, not only in its management of COVID-19 but for future public health crises as well.
“I’m thinking just having systems in place,” Abbott-Kenan said. “We were ill-prepared for having breathing machines and the medical supplies we needed.”
Given the unpredictability of a pandemic, Abbott-Kenan expects the process to run smoothly with the systems already put in place.
“This reimburses some of what we’ve already put money out for and we were hoping there would be funding for this,” Abbott-Kenan said.
