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Millions in Bioterrorism Grants Not Tracked in D.C.
About $3.6 million in federal bioterrorism grants awarded to the District of Columbia since 2002 have not been properly tracked, with nearly half that sum remaining unused, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, April 1). Local officials have failed to upgrade accounting systems to track the grant money, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department inspector general’s office. Eighteen D.C. Hospital Association facilities have each received $15,000 to $150,000, according to the organization. The funds were designated for 15 purposes, with the bulk of the money earmarked for “surge capacity,” or extra hospital beds in case of mass casualties. The region has, however, purchased only 444 beds toward a goal of 3,000, the Post reported. The audit was part of a national bioterrorism preparedness spending review, Health and Human Services officials said, and it remains unknown how the D.C. numbers will compare to national statistics. D.C. Health Director Gregg Pane conceded there were troubles in handling the bioterror grants. “I am committed to getting us back on track next year,” Pane said. “The criticisms were legitimate. I think we’ve made progress and I’m optimistic about the future, catching up and moving responsibly to take the steps we need to.” D.C. Hospital Association President Robert Malson defended his organization’s record. Given that the grants were for relatively small sums, D.C. hospitals “are well along our way and to the extent the money has been released, we’ve been spending it appropriately” (Spencer Hsu, Washington Post, Aug. 9).
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