Appropriation to support new “Pandemic Prevention Center”
January 19, 2021
Today, the Council introduced a $500,000 special appropriation that I authored to fund ConnectedDMV’s work toward creating a new global Pandemic Prevention Center, supported by the federal government and located here in Montgomery County. I describe the County’s role in making this exciting proposal a reality in greater detail below.
MEMORANDUM
TO: Councilmembers & County Executive Elrich
FROM: Councilmember Hans Riemer
DATE: January 6, 2021
RE: Appropriation to support new “Pandemic Prevention Center”
I propose the Council introduce a special appropriation for $500,000 to the organization ConnectedDMV to help develop and advocate for a new global Pandemic Prevention Center here in Montgomery County.
As one of the world’s biggest BioHealth clusters and home to the NIH and FDA, we are a natural choice to host this critical new agency. We have the opportunity — and we should act now to close the deal.
ConnectedDMV is a regional non-profit organization that has convened a broad group of stakeholders from the public and private sectors across the capital region. They have identified a global Pandemic Prevention Center as a key need to keep the turmoil, loss of life, and economic devastation we have suffered at the hands of COVID from ever happening again.