Better Hospital Response To Bioterror Attacks Funded By $498 Million From Hhs
States, territories and four major metropolitan areas will strengthen the ability of hospitals and other health care facilities to respond to bioterror attacks, infectious diseases, and natural disasters that may cause mass casualties through a grant of $498 million from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Health departments in the states, territories and metro areas (New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles County and Washington, D.C.) receiving the federal funds will use them to improve the readiness of hospitals and other health care entities in their jurisdictions in dealing with large numbers of casualties.
Recipients also will use the funds to increase coordination on disease reporting among hospitals and local and state health departments, enhance such coordination between public health laboratories and hospital-based laboratories, and harmonize the communications capabilities of these entities.
Other uses for these program funds include providing behavioral health services and trauma and burn care and buying communications equipment and personal protective gear.
“Hospitals will use the funds they receive from states to effect a rapid temporary expansion of bed capacity to accommodate mass casualties, increase isolation and decontamination capacity, identify qualified volunteer healthcare workers to augment hospital staff to deal with mass casualties, and plan for hospital-based and community ready pharmaceutical caches,” noted Elizabeth M. Duke, Ph.D., administrator of HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration, which oversees the program.
FY 2004 awards from the Hospital Preparedness Program, created after the terrorist attacks of Sept.11, 2001, are contained in the following table by stateor jurisdiction and dollar amount:
Alabama, $7,762,315
Alaska, $1,958,803
Arizona, $9,030,450
Arkansas, $5,077,591
California, $38,773,727
Los Angeles County, $15,583,364
Colorado, $7,704,930
Connecticut, $6,197,207
Delaware, $2,205,406
District of Columbia, $2,868,302
Florida, $25,775,967
Georgia, $13,719,390
Hawaii, $2,856,721
Idaho, $2,998,297
Illinois, $15,875,995
Chicago, $5,069,493
Indiana, $10,270,929
Iowa, $5,436,624
Kansas, $5,088,830
Kentucky, $7,156,894
Louisiana, $7,764,518
Maine, $2,943,648
Maryland, $9,150,163
Massachusetts, $10,686,180
Michigan, $16,141,386
Minnesota, $8,542,551
Mississippi, $5,327,321
Missouri, $9,530,322
Montana, $2,370,015
Nebraska, $3,602,747
Nevada, $4,174,253
New Hampshire, $2,905,650
New Jersey, $13,878,940
New Mexico, $3,770,553
New York, $18,019,873
New York City, $12,858,383
Ohio, $18,234,914
Oklahoma, $6,250,131
South Dakota, $2,147,489
Tennessee, $9,699,934
Texas, $33,338,368
Utah, $4,448,125
Vermont, $1,927,552
Virginia, $11,890,053
Washington, $10,069,141
West Virginia, $3,725,218
Wisconsin, $9,180,227
Wyoming, $1,747,144
TERRITORIES
American Samoa, $601,511
Guam, $738,414
Puerto Rico, $6,808,171
Northern Marianas Islands, $612,902
Virgin Islands (U.S.), $684,929
FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES
Federated States of Micronesia, $703,671
Marshall Islands, $581,705
Palau, $528,890
TOTAL: $498,000,000
