Kansas City to add $800,000 for COVID-19 testing and tracing, targeted east of Troost
Kansas City is gearing up to add $800,000 to its response to the coronavirus pandemic following a City Council committee vote on Wednesday.
Most of the money would pay for contracts with outside agencies to provide more testing for the coronavirus. It would also pay for more personal protective equipment for Health Department staffers and add more staff positions — at least temporarily — to trace possible exposures to the virus, enforce social distancing and monitor people in quarantine or isolation.
The money comes from the city’s health levy, tax dollars dedicated for public health and safety net clinics.
The measure won unanimous endorsement from the Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee on Wednesday and is expected to be considered by the full City Council on Thursday.
Funding will be targeted at 15 ZIP codes, many of which lie east of Troost Avenue, the city’s historic racial dividing line.
COVID-19 has hit the East Side — especially the 3rd City Council District — especially hard. And as of earlier this month, black residents, who account for 30% of the city’s population, were making up about half of the COVID-19 cases in Kansas City.
But the funds won’t be strictly limited to those areas, said Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, 3rd District, who sponsored the legislation.
“Because this disease is so uncertain, we wanted to provide for some flexibility, so you have the 15 ZIP codes in which this will target,” Robinson said. “However, it won’t be just limited. As things change, this ordinance allows for that flexibility.”
Last month, Johnson County approved $400,000 for testing. And earlier this month, Jackson County provided Truman Medical Center with a $4.5 million boost — $1 million of that was supposed to go toward testing and personal protective equipment for hospital workers.
To find out more about Kansas City’s response to the coronavirus, you can text “COVIDKC” to 888-777 or visit the city’s website at kcmo.gov/coronavirus. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information at cdc.gov/coronavirus, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has a hotline at 877-435-8411.
