With $31 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding awarded to Centre County from the federal government, county commissioners approved almost $700,000 in grants to four different recipients on Tuesday.
Nonprofit Centre Volunteers in Medicine was allocated $100,000 and Mount Nittany Health will receive $400,000 to provide assistance with unreimbursed costs related to COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Haines-Woodward Municipal Authority will receive $160,000 to help provide necessary repairs and upgrades to water tanks and systems, while Unionville Borough was allocated $34,500 for water tank work.
Commissioner Michael Pipe said parameters on how the money can be used are broad and the board is working to assist the county as best as possible.
“We have a few years to spend it and we are taking a short-term perspective, a medium-term perspective and a long-term perspective,” Pipe said. “There are certain things that are unclear about the future of COVID-19, so we are going to be mindful about how we use the funds long term. But we are recognizing that there are a few things that we really want to make sure that we are investing in currently and immediately.”
In July, the county approved a $250,000 grant from the county’s share of American Rescue Plan funds to the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau for a “summer blitz,” promoting the area as a tourism destination.
The county also opened up a $3 million small business relief grant program in July with the funds.
Here is what the commissioners had to say about the latest grant recipients.
CENTRE VOLUNTEERS IN MEDICINE
CVIM works to provide quality health care to all Centre County residents, and Executive Director Cheryl White said during the pandemic it turned into, “the little vaccine clinic that could.”
The clinic has vaccinated around 30,000 people. The grant money will help support the cost of those previous vaccination efforts and future efforts.
Pipe called the work made by CVIM during the pandemic “extraordinary.”
“Not a day goes by where we are talking about vaccine distribution and COVID-19 where a community member will not approach us and say, ‘I got my shot at CVIM. They’ve done amazing work’” said Pipe.
CVIM board member Donald Gaetano said the recognition of CVIM’s work by the county is an “emotional boost.”
“To receive the money is a financial boost that is so important to us,” Gaetano said.
Commissioner Steven Dershem said about CVIM, “when the community needed you, you stepped up and provided all those vaccinations, and all the medical care and dental care and all the other things you do for folks that are underserved in the community.”
MOUNT NITTANY HEALTH
Pipe said Mount Nittany Health Chief Medical Information Officer Tom Charles has been in constant contact with the county throughout the pandemic, “in order to make sure that we know what is going on. It has been remarkable, the work that you have done.”
Pipe also highlighted the regional approach Mount Nittany took during the pandemic.
Like White, Charles said he was hoping that they would not need to be wearing masks at this point in the pandemic.
“But we are where we are and we continue to work through it,” Charles said. “It takes a community effort and community engagement to continue to deal with an ongoing reality.”
He said he was grateful for the support in the county and expressed gratitude for the team at Mount Nittany Health, who vaccinated “tens of thousands of people and thousands of people a week” while continuing to operate an extensive health system.
“Our team did this and kept everything else going. That is what is remarkable about it. We are here for the community every day,” Charles said.
Commissioner Mark Higgins expressed gratitude to the hospital staff that are putting in long hours wearing protective gear, “which makes a tough job even tougher,” he said.
“We really appreciate what you’ve done,” Higgins said. “You are one of the reasons why so many of us are still here.”
HAINES-WOODWARD MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY AND UNIONVILLE BOROUGH
Pipe said support for infrastructure is written in the American Rescue Plan Act, and the repairs and upgrades to water tanks and systems for the Haines-Woodward Water Authority and the cover for water tank replacement in Unionville Borough falls within that realm.
The Haines-Woodward project was planned for 2020, but hit a roadblock during the pandemic when construction costs raised the price tag of the project to $160,000.
The project will install a second well for the water system in the rural area to meet requirements of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
This story appears in the Sept. 9-15 edition of the Centre County Gazette
