By Post Staff

At a joint press conference on Wednesday, Bay Area Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Nancy Pelosi touted the impact the recently passed infrastructure bill will have on the Bay Area.

“For decades, underinvestment in our physical and social infrastructure has widened the economic gap, put communities at risk, and exacerbated racial and economic inequality,” Lee said. “And it’s not just a lack of investment. Too often, the infrastructure that we built created more inequality. This infrastructure law now advances equality, equity, and environmental justice unlike any law we have ever seen before.”

In regard to environmental justice, Lee points out that billions of dollars will be dedicated to building low-to-no emissions buses and expanding access to EV charging network. “These are critical investments for communities in my district that have suffered from higher levels of air pollution and childhood asthma rates,” she said.

The law will also provide internet access to low-income families across the state. “During the pandemic, we have seen that internet access is an equity issue for kids in East Oakland and other parts of my district, and we need to close that gap,” Lee said.

Besides their individual districts, the Congresswomen pointed out how much California as a whole will benefit from billions in investment to improve highways and bridges, public transportation, and water infrastructure.

“Also, it will help to protect communities like Oakland and Berkeley from another devastating wildfire like the one we experienced 30 years ago,” Lee said. “We are now moving full speed ahead to pass the rest of President Biden’s economic agenda through the Senate to significantly cut the costs of childcare, reduce childhood poverty, address the climate crisis, increase affordable housing, and make other meaningful investments in the quality of life of our families.”

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) announced Thursday more than $5.5 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding will go to modernize health centers and support underserved communities in the East Bay.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding nearly $1 billion in ARP funds to almost 1,300 health centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to support major health care construction and renovation projects.

“I want to express my immense gratitude to these service providers for their public health stewardship, and for the work and sacrifices of their staff, to ensure that our communities have the information and care they need to get through this pandemic,” Lee said. “Thank you for taking care of our communities, and for all your efforts to promote equity in public health both during the pandemic and beyond.”

The funds will be awarded to health centers that serve medically underserved and other vulnerable populations and communities, which are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and other health conditions. More than 91% of patients served by these health centers are living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and nearly 63% are racial/ethnic minorities.

The awards are intended to strengthen primary health care infrastructure and advance health equity and health outcomes in medically underserved communities, including through projects that support COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination.

Health centers will use this funding for COVID-19-related capital needs, constructing new facilities, renovating and expanding existing facilities to enhance response to pandemics, and purchasing new state-of-the-art equipment, including telehealth technology, mobile medical vans, and freezers to store vaccines.

Modernization Funding for California’s 13^th Congressional District

1. La Clínica de la Raza – $1,506,852

https://laclinica.org/

1. Lifelong Medical Care – $1,204,462

https://lifelongmedical.org/

1. Asian Health Services – $814,050

https://asianhealthservices.org/

1. West Oakland Health Council – $597,000

https://westoaklandhealth.org/

1. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland – $532,248

https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/

1. Davis Street Community Center – $531,966

https://davisstreet.org/

1. County of Alameda – $501,714

https://acphd.org/

The American Rescue Plan – the stimulus package passed by Congress in February and signed by President Biden in March – provided almost $2 trillion to help families, businesses, schools, and other institutions survive and recover from the COVID-19 economic crisis.

Congresswoman Lee and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) successfully fought to include billions of dollars in the ARP and other COVID relief packages to increase equity in testing, tracing, and vaccinations, including funding for trusted messengers to reach communities that are historically and medically underserved.

The Oakland Post’s coverage of local news in Alameda County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support community newspapers across California.