Congressman DeSaulnier Announces Director of Contra Costa Health Services as Virtual Guest to President Biden’s Joint Address to Congress

Walnut Creek, CA – Today, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) announced Director of Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), Anna Roth, RN, MS, MPH as his virtual guest to President Biden's Joint Address to Congress. As director of the County health department, Roth has spearheaded Contra Costa's remarkable response to the coronavirus pandemic, helping to establish our community as a leader in our state and across the country in the fight to combat the virus and protect our residents.

"From becoming the first county in the Bay Area to make vaccination available to all residents 16 and older, to this week's announcement that one million vaccines have been administered in record time, Contra Costa County has been a leader in the herculean effort to vaccinate Americans and defeat this deadly pandemic," said Congressman DeSaulnier. "At the helm of these historic achievements is the Director of CCHS, Anna Roth, whom I am honored to welcome as my guest to President Biden's Joint Address."

"The incredible amount of hard work put forward by Anna and the entire CCHS team was bolstered by the American Rescue Plan, which funded the delivery of more doses of vaccine, allowing our County to outperform our initial vaccination goal and get more residents protected more quickly," said Congressman DeSaulnier. "I'm proud to have Anna's participation as President Biden lays out the work ahead of the Administration and Congress to continue delivering these kinds of results for our communities and to set us on the path to full recovery."

"I am honored to join Congressman DeSaulnier this evening. The pandemic has highlighted how important a properly prepared, staffed and funded public health infrastructure is to Americans," said Roth. "The work of President Biden and Congressman DeSaulnier to ensure that life-saving vaccines were available when we needed them allowed us to administer one million doses in Contra Costa County, nearly three months ahead of schedule. It's just one example of how the American Rescue Plan Act combats needless suffering, especially in communities where poverty, structural racism and inequity have had a vast impact on public health. We are grateful to the administration and to Congress for these much-needed resources."

To help the American people weather the pandemic and get the support they need, Congressman DeSaulnier joined his Democratic colleagues in Congress in passing the American Rescue Plan Act – a $1.9 trillion package that supports individuals, small businesses, and local governments. The bill was signed into law on March 11, 2021 and Congressman DeSaulnier has since held multiple town halls to ensure his constituents are aware of the support this law can give them.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS' AND THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS TO DELIVER RESULTS FOR CONTRA COSTA AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

100 Days into Congress's work with President Biden, the American Rescue Plan is delivering shots in arms, money in pockets, and people in jobs.

SHOTS IN ARMS

• More than 215 million vaccine doses and counting have been administered across the United States with 1,035,746 doses administered in Contra Costa County
• More than 85 million Americans are fully vaccinated and 437,266 Contra Costa residents are fully vaccinated
• The American Rescue Plan also recently sent $6 billion to local Community Health Centers to help them distribute vaccines

MONEY IN POCKETS

• About 159 million stimulus payments have made their way into the hands of hardworking Americans with most eligible families receiving $1,400 per family member.
• Over 18 million Americans are able to pay their bills due to unemployment benefits that were extended, including the extra $300 per week.

PEOPLE IN JOBS

• The economy created nearly 1 million jobs in March. In fact, "Job growth boomed in March at the fastest pace since last summer, as stronger economic growth and an aggressive vaccination effort contributed to a surge in hospitality and construction jobs," according to CNBC.

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