<p>Baltimore City Health Department will use a new $8.4 million grant from the CDC to hire at least 12 new employees and create a new electronic health-records system, over the next five years.</p> <p>The department currently has 740 active employees.</p> <p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the grant Dec. 1 as part of a $3.2 billion package to help jurisdictions nationwide strengthen their public health workforce and infrastructure, said the health department in a press release today.</p> <p>Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa said in a statement that the pandemic put massive strain on the department, as it was one of the few city agencies working without interruption, which led to burnout throughout the department.</p>