This amendment provides $2.7 million the second year from the general fund in the Office of Epidemiology to support 23 additional positions in addition to the $3.1 million included in the introduced budget provided to sustain and expand the Virginia Department of Health s communicable disease surveillance and investigation efforts across the Office of Epidemiology and the 35 local health districts in Virginia. The introduced budget funded 12 epidemiologists and 12 communicable disease nurses across the 35 health districts and funded two epidemiology program managers in the Office of Epidemiology in the Central Office. This amendment funds a total of 47 epidemiologists and communicable disease nurses to expand the Commonwealth's communicable disease surveillance and investigation capabilities. A separate amendment funds additional epidemiology program managers in the Office of Epidemiology