Committee OKs application for $199,497.93 state per-capita public health aid

The Norwalk City Community Services Committee on July 22 authorized Mayor Barbara C. Smith to execute agreements to apply for and receive $199,497.93 in per-capita public health aid from the Connecticut Department of Public Health for the period July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027.

Diana D'Amore of the health department told the committee the per-capita aid is established in state statute for municipal departments that serve populations above specified thresholds and is intended to help deliver the CDC-defined 10 essential public health services. "This is money that's allocated from the state... it provides this flexible funding to local health departments to provide essential public health services," D'Amore said, adding that the city has used this funding for staffing and electronic health records in prior years.

D'Amore described routine years in which the department uses the funds to hire full- and part-time staff and to implement health-data systems. The committee had no questions and approved the request unanimously. The authorization lets the mayor sign applications and any implementation documents required if the grant is awarded.

The committee did not attach program-level allocations beyond the examples D'Amore provided; the department will return to the council for specifics if staff or capital purchases require separate approvals.