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U.S. Response: States to Receive $1.4 Billion to Improve Preparedness U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced yesterday that $1.4 billion is set to be provided to states this year to help improve preparations against a biological terrorism attack (see GSN, March 19). Of the $1.4 billion, $870 million will go to support state public health agencies, according to a Health and Human Services press release. About $500 million will be provided to help improve hospital preparedness to handle an act of biological terrorism or other mass casualty events. To receive the additional funding, states will be required to submit plans to Health and Human Services outlining their public health and hospital preparedness activities. States can quickly receive up to 20 percent of their fiscal 2003 funding to support current public health activities, such as smallpox vaccination for emergency responders, the department release said. “Once again, we are rapidly getting federal funding for public health preparedness into the hands of our states and hospitals,” Thompson said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our state and local partners to enhance our readiness and our ability to respond to public health emergencies. Our combined efforts will result in a stronger public health system to care for Americans in emergencies, whether it be an outbreak of the flu or a biological incident,” he added (Health and Human Services release, March 20).
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