Funding and Transition Challenges
The SEARCH program, a collaboration among , , and Rady Children’s Hospital, ceased operations due to the termination of approximately $400,000 per year in funding from 's public health department, affected by federal budget cuts.
Plans for an orderly transition of wastewater surveillance to the county's new public health laboratory were disrupted, leaving researchers and the county to navigate the sudden funding cut and its impact on data continuity and comparison.
Future and Support Despite Cuts
Despite the funding withdrawal, researchers expressed a commitment to assist San Diego County in setting up its wastewater surveillance, acknowledging the federal mandates that led to the funding cuts were beyond the county's control.
The county is working on transferring historical samples from UCSD to the new lab, aiming to establish a functional in-house program, albeit with challenges in data equivalence due to the abrupt transition.