AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Public Health (APH) leaders say federal funding cuts are hurting their ability to effectively combat diseases in the community.

Back in the spring , the federal government abruptly rescinded a multi-million-dollar COVID-19 immunizations grant given to the city of Austin, just a few months before it was set to expire. APH said that grant allowed the department to carry out mobile vaccine clinics.

During an update to city leaders Wednesday morning, APH said losing that money meant a hit to the infrastructure the department had not only to combat COVID-19, but the ability to deal with measles, RSV and the upcoming flu season.

"We're not going to be able to be in places and spaces that the community has come to expect us to be," APH Director Adrienne Sturrup said. "W

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