(AP) The federal government has given Maine a $7 million boost to help prepare for another public health crisis.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King said the Maine Department of Health and Human Services has received the money from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About $1.8 million of the money is for preventing and controlling emerging diseases and the rest is for preparing and responding to public health emergencies.

The senators said the state “must not lose sight of other public health initiatives that protect the health and safety of the community” while it continues responding to the coronavirus pandemic.