Article by  Amber Coakley. Click here to read this article on The San Diego Union Tribune. 

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Supervisors unanimously voted on Tuesday to allocate $10 million to fund pre-construction planning to build the region’s first public health laboratory, according to a press release.

The County said the move is intended to accelerate the ability of public health officials to detect and fight infectious diseases, which comes in the wake of COVID-19.

“For decades, under the old Board, San Diego County failed to adequately invest in basic public health infrastructure,” Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said. “Today we’re taking another step to reverse that trend and ensure that our region’s Public Health officials have the tools they need to keep our communities safe.

The Board said it’s planning to construct a state-of-the-art testing facility housed at the County Operations Center in Kearny Mesa.

“This new laboratory will help us get test results faster and serve our unique needs as a border region,” Lawson-Remer said.