By Ordinance No. 2015-735 passed and adopted on August 5, 2015, City Council approved a contract with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for Current Population Statistics (CPS)/Hazards Public Health Emergency and Preparedness (PHEP) (DSHS Contract No. 2016-001219-00) for a grant amount of $1,275,704.00 for FY 16 period from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. A cash match contribution of $255,179.00 was required. The grantor allowed the match to be met with an in-kind value.
The Houston Health Department (HHD) now requests City Council’s approval of an ordinance approving and authorizing an amended and restated contract with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for Current Population Statistics (CPS)/Hazards Public Health Emergency and Preparedness (PHEP) (DSHS Contract No. 2016-001219-01) to extend the term of the above contract for the period from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 and add additional funding to the contract for FY17 in the amount of $1,275,704.00. A cash match contribution of $255,179.00 is required. The grantor allows the match to be met with an in-kind value.
HHD requests City Council to authorize the Director of HHD to accept the grant funding of the contract and expend approved funding as soon as awarded, and to apply for and accept subsequent awards, if any. Furthermore, HHD requests City Council to authorize the Mayor to sign and extend the terms offered by DSHS for the project period in connection with this grant, not to exceed five years, if applicable, with approval of the City Attorney.
Funding from DSHS allows HHD to support community preparedness activities in the form of outreach, planning, training, exercises, and continuous disease surveillance to detect potential exposure risks and disease outbreaks of public health significance. Staff funded through the grant create, review and revise response plans; conduct community outreach and trainings; develop and conduct exercises; monitor and investigate diseases and syndromes indicative of certain diseases; and conduct laboratory disease testing. These services protect and prepare Houston from public health threats such as Zika, pandemics, and potential bioterrorism attacks.