US Health Department pauses, then resumes $5 billion in public health grants, Bloomberg News reports

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) restored about $5 billion in public health grants to states just hours after it sent notices pausing such grants, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the agency said that states would be notified that the pause had been lifted, the report added.

HHS did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
“The temporary pause is for HHS to implement a new review process and to ensure funds are used for their intended purposes,” the HHS spokesperson earlier told Bloomberg.

Public Health Infrastructure Grants are awarded over a five-year period to help departments aid their workforce and carry out data modernization as per the grant’s, website.

Last year in March, the department canceled more than $11 billion in federal grants to states that were allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic and were being used for tracking mental health services, addiction treatment and other urgent health issues.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Source: Reuters