Rep. Pete Aguilar announced that Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc has received $383,553 in coronavirus-response funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funding will allow the organization to increase staff and provide protective equipment to prevent further spread of the virus within the region’s tribal communities.

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, I’ve worked with my House colleagues to make sure Inland Empire communities have the resources they need to prevent the spread of this virus and protect essential workers and health care personnel. I’m proud to announce this funding, which will help our tribal communities overcome this crisis and will lead to better health outcomes overall,” said Rep. Aguilar.

“The grant award comes to us at a pivotal time in our battle against this COVID-19 virus. Due to the scarcity in public health infrastructure and emergency management amongst the tribes we serve, our Native American  patient population is dependent on Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc. to provide risk mitigation in times of crisis,” stated Riverside–San Bernardino County Indian CEO, Jess Montoya. “This award will enable us to purchase essential equipment and supplies, hire additional support staff, implement appropriate technology, and strengthen our organization’s public health activities to thoroughly care for our patients and reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our tribal communities. We would like to acknowledge Representative Aguilar for his support to Indian County at this time for his assistance in funding this program. This will benefit our patients and clinic system immediately and down the road.”

Rep. Aguilar serves as the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for allocating federal funding to agencies such as HHS.