Response to the COVID-19 pandemic is placing a great deal of financial strain on the Laclede County Health Department

Response to the COVID-19 pandemic is placing a great deal of financial strain on many local health departments across the state. Laclede County Health Department Administrator, Charla Baker, says her department has only received a small portion of CARES ACT money from the county, so much of the 414-thousand dollars the Laclede County Health Department has spent on the pandemic so far will have to be covered by their budget if additional resources can’t be found…………

That’s roughly 75 percent of the cost, so far, the department has had to cover. Baker says many local health departments could be bankrupted by the cost of the pandemic response. She says the Laclede County Health Department was on good financial footing when the pandemic struck, but as costs grow they are going to have to look for additional funding resources………..