Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Date: June 3, 2008
For Release: Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
...well, finally some money HJ
Headline: HHS Provides more than $1 Billion to Improve All Hazards
Public Health and Medical Preparedness
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced that the department has made
available nearly $1.1 billion to continue assisting public health
departments, hospitals and other health care organizations to strengthen
their ability to respond to public health and medical emergencies as a
result of a terrorism attack or naturally occurring event.
"States and local communities need to be supported because they are the
front lines of response in a health emergency," Secretary Leavitt said.
"These funds will continue to enhance community readiness by increasing
the capabilities of health departments, hospitals and health care
delivery systems to respond to any public health emergency."
The HHS funding is awarded via two separate but interrelated cooperative
agreements. HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is
providing a total of $704.8 million in funding to health departments in
states, territories and metro areas of New York City, Chicago, Los
Angeles County and Washington, D.C., through the Public Health Emergency
Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement. The HHS Assistant Secretary
for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is also awarding $398 million
through the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP)
The CDC-provided funds are intended to upgrade public health
departments' preparedness and response to all hazards public health
emergencies including terrorism, as well as pandemic influenza and other
naturally occurring emergencies.
These funds will be used to meet goals that include:
* Integrating public health and public and private medical
capabilities with other first responder systems;
* Addressing the public health and medical needs of at-risk
individuals (such as children, or people with chronic medical disorders)
in the event of a public health emergency; and
* Assuring coordination among state, local, and tribal planning,
preparedness, and response activities.
The ASPR-awarded funds are being provided to states, territories and the
metro areas of New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles County and
Washington, D.C. These funds will be used to improve the readiness of
hospitals and other health care organizations in their jurisdictions.
The goal is to strengthen medical surge capability across the nation.
Recipients will use the funds to finalize development or improve:
* Interoperable communication systems,
* Systems to track available hospital beds,
* Advance registration of volunteer health professionals,
* Processes for hospital evacuations or sheltering-in-place,
* Processes for fatality management, and
* Strengthening health care partnerships at the community level.
The provisions of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA)
provide accountability of the use of the HPP and PHEP funds. These
funds can be withheld from awardees if they fail to meet established
state level performance measures. HHS plans to begin implementing these
provisions this year.
For more information on the Hospital Preparedness Grants, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opeo/hpp/. For more information about the
Public Health Emergency Preparedness grants go to:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/planning/coopagreement/08/pdf/fy08announcement.
pdf. For a list of the grants go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/06/20080603a.html.
For Release: Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
...well, finally some money HJ
Headline: HHS Provides more than $1 Billion to Improve All Hazards
Public Health and Medical Preparedness
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced that the department has made
available nearly $1.1 billion to continue assisting public health
departments, hospitals and other health care organizations to strengthen
their ability to respond to public health and medical emergencies as a
result of a terrorism attack or naturally occurring event.
"States and local communities need to be supported because they are the
front lines of response in a health emergency," Secretary Leavitt said.
"These funds will continue to enhance community readiness by increasing
the capabilities of health departments, hospitals and health care
delivery systems to respond to any public health emergency."
The HHS funding is awarded via two separate but interrelated cooperative
agreements. HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is
providing a total of $704.8 million in funding to health departments in
states, territories and metro areas of New York City, Chicago, Los
Angeles County and Washington, D.C., through the Public Health Emergency
Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement. The HHS Assistant Secretary
for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is also awarding $398 million
through the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP)
The CDC-provided funds are intended to upgrade public health
departments' preparedness and response to all hazards public health
emergencies including terrorism, as well as pandemic influenza and other
naturally occurring emergencies.
These funds will be used to meet goals that include:
* Integrating public health and public and private medical
capabilities with other first responder systems;
* Addressing the public health and medical needs of at-risk
individuals (such as children, or people with chronic medical disorders)
in the event of a public health emergency; and
* Assuring coordination among state, local, and tribal planning,
preparedness, and response activities.
The ASPR-awarded funds are being provided to states, territories and the
metro areas of New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles County and
Washington, D.C. These funds will be used to improve the readiness of
hospitals and other health care organizations in their jurisdictions.
The goal is to strengthen medical surge capability across the nation.
Recipients will use the funds to finalize development or improve:
* Interoperable communication systems,
* Systems to track available hospital beds,
* Advance registration of volunteer health professionals,
* Processes for hospital evacuations or sheltering-in-place,
* Processes for fatality management, and
* Strengthening health care partnerships at the community level.
The provisions of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA)
provide accountability of the use of the HPP and PHEP funds. These
funds can be withheld from awardees if they fail to meet established
state level performance measures. HHS plans to begin implementing these
provisions this year.
For more information on the Hospital Preparedness Grants, go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opeo/hpp/. For more information about the
Public Health Emergency Preparedness grants go to:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/planning/coopagreement/08/pdf/fy08announcement.
pdf. For a list of the grants go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/06/20080603a.html.
