In a recent meeting, the Bucks County commissioners expressed eagerness to inject an expected $122 million in federal funding — as well as financial help from Harrisburg — into the county’s COVID-19 response, reports Jeff Ward for 69 News WFMZ. 

“We’re still trying to get our hands around how we’re going to be able to spend that money,” Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo said. 

The comments were made at the annual State of the County presentation at the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce, where Commissioner DiGirolamo was virtually flanked by Chairwoman Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Commissioner Robert Harvie Jr. 

Priorities included spending on human services, mental health issues, child abuse and neglect and — in the long term — affordable housing in the county. All these outreaches were, to varying degrees, conjectured to have been affected by COVID-19. 

Commissioner Harvie stated that more information on available services is needed. He commented that residents may not even know what county help is out there for them. 

He did cite one county service that has gotten a lot of attention in the past year: the health department. Its rise in prominence was attributed to the Bucks County residents using it to access vaccine appointments, at a current rate of 3,000 doses per day. 

The Zoom edition of this meeting adjourned with the hope that, given continued progress in beating down county COVID numbers, it becomes the last version on the docket streamed online out of health concerns. 

More on the commissioners’ presentation is available at 69 News WFMZ.