Today’s update discusses:

• a focus on testing in high-risk facilities
• Kansas City Mayor asks for funding

HEALTH

• Governor Parson announced this week that Missouri will be expanding and focusing on testing at high-risk places, such as long-term care facilities. According to the Governor, 41 of the 91 long-term care facilities that reported a new COVID-19 case in the last two weeks have undergone facility-wide testing. Governor Parson’s plan is to test all staff and residents. As Missouri opens more areas of the state’s economy, such as the St. Louis area, the state is pushing for increased testing.

RESOURCES

• The Mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas, made an appeal on Monday to the Jackson County Legislature to reconsider funding set aside for local units of government. Kansas City, which did not qualify for direct CARES Act funding, is asking Jackson County to provide the city with $54,588,149 of the County’s $122.7 million allotment from the state. Mayor Lucas breaks down current and projected expenses, explaining that Kansas City has spent roughly $11.3 million on the health department for testing and other initiatives, and millions more on contact tracing, safety equipment, compliance, and community outreach. In addition, the funding would also aid small businesses, housing assistance, social services, and arts-based businesses.