HHS funds to bolster public health emergency preparedness nationwide

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded more than $613 million to strengthen all-hazards emergency preparedness in the 50 states, four large metropolitan areas, and eight U.S. territories and Pacific island areas.

HHS’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention administers the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement, which supports state, local, and territorial health departments in demonstrating measurable and sustainable progress toward achieving 15 public health preparedness capabilities and other activities that promote safer and more resilient communities.  

“State and local public health departments have made tremendous advances in public health preparedness and response since the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The terrorist attacks highlighted the importance of health security and the need to expand the federal government’s investments in state and local public health preparedness,” said Ali S. Khan, M.D., the director of CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, which oversees the PHEP cooperative agreement. “These funds work to secure the nation from all public health threats.”

CDC’s recent state preparedness report indicates that much progress has been made to build and strengthen national public health preparedness and response capabilities in laboratory testing capacities and state capacities to receive, distribute, and dispense medical assets from CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile and other sources. More information is available at http://emergency.cdc.gov/publications/2010phprep/.

CDC’s new PHEP cooperative agreement focuses on advancing public health preparedness for public health laboratory testing, public health surveillance and epidemiological investigation, community preparedness, medical countermeasure dispensing, responder safety and health, emergency operations coordination, emergency public information and warning, and other capabilities.

The PHEP cooperative agreement also addresses lessons learned during the recent large-scale incidents like the H1N1 influenza pandemic response, by encouraging health departments to develop and implement strategies for effective state and local emergency response.  In addition, the cooperative agreement provides funding to 10 urban areas as a one-year pilot program for higher population areas to develop public health, medical, mental/behavioral risk assessments and risk mitigation strategies.

Other funding for state and local medical preparedness activities was released in July by HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). ASPR awarded more than $352 in Hospital Preparedness Program grants to support preparedness capabilities, including medical surge, for hospitals and health care facilities. More information is available at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/07/20110701a.html.

CDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)

Cooperative Agreement

Fiscal Year 2011 Funding

Awardee FY 2011 Total Funding Available

Alabama $8,633,983

Alaska $5,177,600

American Samoa $374,003

Arizona $11,894,861

Arkansas $6,469,981

California $41,661,534

Chicago $10,409,823

Colorado $9,397,930

Connecticut $7,553,479

Delaware $5,422,932

District of Columbia $6,730,903

Florida $27,687,829

Georgia $15,653,814

Guam $501,200

Hawaii $5,260,290

Idaho $5,181,907

Illinois $16,845,953

Indiana $11,146,909

Iowa $6,595,869

Kansas $6,595,020

Kentucky $8,275,695

Los Angeles County $20,404,916

Louisiana $8,632,297

Maine $5,206,160

Marshall Islands $372,756

Maryland $11,057,196

Massachusetts $13,459,602

Michigan $16,543,509

Micronesia $421,144

Minnesota $10,842,711

Mississippi $6,565,242

Missouri $10,717,722

Montana $5,178,911

Nebraska $5,234,954

Nevada $6,585,802

New Hampshire $5,398,877

New Jersey $16,184,853

New Mexico $6,526,120

New York $19,284,669

New York  City $19,243,835

North Carolina $14,020,450

North Dakota $5,180,405

Northern Mariana Islands $358,054

Ohio $17,618,925

Oklahoma $7,509,542

Oregon $7,829,790

Palau $323,450

Pennsylvania $19,774,638

Puerto Rico $7,473,561

Rhode Island $5,302,058

South Carolina $9,308,851

South Dakota $5,169,600

Tennessee $10,845,628

Texas $37,545,665

Utah $6,464,082

Vermont $5,192,031

Virgin Islands (U.S.) $423,822

Virginia $14,483,987

Washington $11,711,066

West Virginia $5,336,731

Wisconsin $11,235,615

Wyoming $5,169,600

TOTAL FY 2011 PHEP FUNDING $613,610,342

  ###

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES