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Health and Human Services Department Wants to Shift State Bioterror Funds to New Program
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson told lawmakers yesterday that he intends to shift $55 million from state bioterrorism projects to a new federal “Cities Readiness Initiative,” the Washington Post reported (see GSN, Dec. 15, 2003). The money would fund training of U.S. Postal Service letter carriers to deliver antibiotics or antidotes within 48 hours of a biological attack to 21 major cities, installing sophisticated disease surveillance equipment, purchasing vaccines and building new quarantine stations at U.S. airports, according to department documents. It makes sense to shift resources to “high-risk cities” most likely to be terrorist targets, said Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services. George Gould of the National Association of Letter Carriers said postal workers would be trained in handling the emergency materials and in security. However, several local officials and public health leaders protested the move. “We should not be in a situation of robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Shelley Hearne, head of the Trust for America’s Health, a nonpartisan public health advocacy group. Thompson also received letters of protest from a bipartisan group of senators and the National Governors Association. “We shouldn't have to choose between filling the national vaccine stockpile or having a warning system at the state and local level,” said Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who drafted the senators’ letter. “That’s a false choice and a manifestation of the budget problems we have,” he added (Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, May 21). The governors’ letter informs Thompson that they are committed to keeping their populations safe from bioterror but that “this can only be achieved through an equal, stable, and steady commitment from the federal government to continue supporting state bioterrorism preparedness initiatives.” The governors go on to urge the secretary to “honor the federal commitment and make sure that all appropriated funds are preserved to assist our states in building capability and capacity in the public health systems so we will be prepared to respond to and recover from bioterrorist attacks” (National Governors Association release, May 20).
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