CONGRESSMAN COSTA ANNOUNCES FUNDS AWARDED TO FRESNO COUNTY

Fresno, CA - Today, Congressman Jim Costa (CA-20)announced that FresnoCounty will receive approximately$560,000 from the United States Departments of Justice and Health and HumanServices.

"Thesefunds play an integral role in the county's ability to maintain a safe environmentin which residents can thrive," Congressman Costa said.

TheFresno County Sheriff Department will receive $110,000 for the DNA CapacityEnhancement and Forensic Casework DNA Backlog Reduction programs. A portion of these funds, from the USDepartment of Justice, will be used to improve laboratory infrastructure andanalysis capacity which will allow the Sheriff's Department to process DNAsamples efficiently and cost effectively. The remainder will be used to analyze backlogged forensic DNA casework.

Community RegionalMedical Centerin Fresno willreceive approximately $450,000 from the Health Resources and ServicesAdministration, of the Department of Health and Human Services. The grant money allocated under the HealthCare and Other Facilities Program will be used to improve facilities andpurchase equipment for an outpatient care clinic at Community RegionalMedical Center.

"Realizingthe full potential of DNA and medical technology is important in our efforts toprovide the best technologies possible for our communities," Costaconcluded.