KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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Kansas City leaders said a change to a federal grant is hampering plans to upgrade labs at the health department.
This would prevent the lab from more quickly processing tests for measles, certain sexually transmitted diseases, and other infectious diseases.
The city planned to use money from a COVID-era federal grant to pay for upgrades to the city’s one active lab and improve two shuttered labs at the health department.
In late March, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ended the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control for Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) grant abruptly.
A letter said Kansas City cannot spend the remaining $1.5 million from the grant, which was originally set to expire July 31, 2025.
The letter explained the grant was specific to COVID response.
“Now that the pandemic is over,” the letter stated. “The grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary as their limited purpose has run out.”
Kansas City joined a handful of other municipalities to sue the federal agency in an attempt to get the grant funding restored. Without the funding, it’s unclear how the city can pay for lab upgrades.
Deputy Director Naser Jouhari said processing tests in a health department lab takes minutes. Outsourcing the testing process takes days.
“You don’t know how fast these things will spread," Jouhari said. "It is extremely important for us to do testing here, so we can do the immediate notification.”
U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt sides with HHS on this debate. He said the “shot clock” on using COVID dollars expired.
“COVID is over. It's been over for a long time. People ought to be able to adjust to that,” Schmitt said. “There's other grant funding opportunities for worthy causes.”
The health department will expand its vaccine clinic hours next week. Leaders say vaccines are the best way to prevent diseases like measles from spreading.
Beginning May 14, the clinic will be open until 7 p.m. every Wednesday. Beginning May 17, the clinic will be open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.
