The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly adopted a resolution that approves a modification to the spending plan for the remaining balance of $100,000 from the state for the Healthy and Equitable Communities Program under the CDC. A previously enacted ordinance authorized the mayor to accept that community program award in the amount of $153,940.61 for testing and recovery activities based upon COVID-19 impacts, authorized the distribution of $53,940.61 to the Kenai Peninsula Homeless Coalition, and required further approval for the remaining funds.
The assembly tasked Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce with providing a new spending plan for the remaining $100,000:
“There was an Alaska Healthy and Equitable Communities Program grant. We talked about trying to facilitate some, during the COVID period, we tried to initiate some contract for services from some of the healthcare providers to provide healthcare needs related to the COVID event. We never received any bids on this, these dollars. The proposal is to take the moneys and utilize them in the Nikiski Fire Service Area with the program that they’re currently using out there, the cost saving measures they’re taking out there, they had a grant that was proposed to provide that. Those grant funds are coming to an end, and we felt that this $100,000 would go a long ways to add some additional time for those folks out there to provide those services they’re currently doing in Nikiski.”
The Nikiski Fire Service Area has been operating a mobile integrated health program within the service area, which is scheduled to end by this December. Under the spending plan, they will conduct several activities, including contracting with an agency to evaluate and source ways to continue the program indefinitely; completing a program handbook and strategy that will be available for boroughwide use; and continue providing COVID-19 testing, treatments, vaccinations, and mobile integrated health services.
The grant expenditures modification was pre-approved by the granting agency and is within the federal guidance.
