ARPA funds: Public health, Latino advocates and county budget vying for award

The American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law last year, awarding federal money to local governments to help alleviate the long-term economic and public health effects of the pandemic. The US Department of the Treasury urged an open community process for the distribution of the funds, but Mendocino County plans to use the money to balance the budget. In a special public affairs show, we heard from Laura Diamondstone, a retired epidemiologist and public health advocate; UVA Vecinos en Accion, an advocacy group for the Latino and Spanish-speaking communities in inland Mendocino county; and Interim CEO Darcie Antle, about potential uses for the money and what some of it has already been used for. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons