Lord Fairfax Health District Receives $5,000 Grant To Support Local EMS Crews

Local emergency medical providers will have easier access to hand sanitizer and infection-control training through a $5,000 grant awarded to the Lord Fairfax Health District.

The district was one of 22 local health districts in Virginia to receive a Community Health Impact Micro-Grant from the Virginia Department of Health. The money will support infection prevention and control efforts for local EMS agencies.

Before deciding how to use the funding, health district staff visited fire stations, went on ride-alongs, and interviewed EMS providers about the challenges they face in the field.

“EMS providers serve in an integral role within the healthcare system, often working in unpredictable environments and conditions,” District Epidemiologist Clarissa Bonnefond, MPH, said. “We worked with our local EMS agencies to figure out how we can best support them with IPC training and resources.”

Those conversations identified hand hygiene as one area where additional resources could help.

Unlike healthcare workers in hospitals or medical offices, EMS crews often treat patients in homes, vehicles, along roadways, and in other locations where a sink or other handwashing facilities may not be readily available.

The district used grant money to purchase mountable hand sanitizer dispensers for ambulances, giving crews a secure and accessible supply while responding to calls and transporting patients.

EMS providers are also receiving personal-size bottles with clips that they can carry when they leave the ambulance to treat patients.

The district has also started providing interactive infection prevention and control training for EMS personnel. In addition to reinforcing practices that can help protect providers and patients, the training will help agencies meet annual education requirements.

The $5,000 award comes through the Public Health Infrastructure Grant program, a national effort overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program has supported health departments nationwide since 2022 and lets communities direct funding to local public health needs.

The Virginia Department of Health received $60,000 to distribute through the micro-grant program.

Local health districts submitted proposals explaining how they would use the funding and the expected community impact. Eligible projects could focus on training, educational activities, outreach, and staff support.

A VDH team reviewed 28 applications based on factors including community need, potential impact, the population served, community partnerships, feasibility, and plans for measuring results.

For Lord Fairfax Health District, the grant provides relatively simple resources aimed at a practical challenge: helping EMS providers maintain infection-control practices wherever an emergency takes them.

The effort also reflects the district’s broader mission of promoting community health through education, prevention, partnerships, and access to public health services.

More information about the Lord Fairfax Health District and its programs is available at www.vdh.virginia.gov/lord-fairfax/.