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HHS Announces an Extra $75 Million for State/Local Pandemic Preparedness

By Jennifer Nuzzo, August 31, 2007

In an August 30, 2007, press release, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt announced that his department is making available an additional $75 million for “states, territories and four metropolitan areas to help strengthen their capacity to respond to a pandemic influenza outbreak.”1 According to the announcement, these additional one-time supplemental grants are to be used in the following manner:

• Establish or enhance stockpiles of critical medical equipment and supplies;
• Continue development of plans for maintenance, distribution and sharing of those resources;
• Plan for and develop pandemic alternate care sites; and
• Conduct medical surge exercises.1

The $75 million award supplements the $430 million HHS previously announced June 28, 2007, to strengthen the ability of hospitals and health care facilities to respond to mass casualties following bioterror attacks, infectious diseases epidemics, and natural disasters.1 Details of this prior award were reported by the Biosecurity Briefing on July 6, 2007.2

According to Secretary Leavitt, “the additional funding will provide our nation’s health care community with a means to continue planning, training and acquiring needed equipment for an effective pandemic response…. It will also help keep the momentum we have generated over the past year in this important public health area.”1

References

1. HHS Announces $75 million in supplemental funding to states for pandemic flu preparedness. HHS press release. August 30, 2007. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/08/pr20070830a.html. Accessed August 30, 2007.
2. Indukuri, C. HHS to provide $430 million in grants to improve medical preparedness and response to mass casualty disasters. Biosecurity Briefing, July 6, 2007. http://www.upmc-biosecurity.org/website/biosecurity_briefing/archive/hosp_prep/content/2007-07-06-hhstoprovidegrantstoimprovemedicalprep.html. August 30, 2007.