HHS to Provide $498 Million for Medical Preparedness

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced yesterday that his department would award $498 million for states, territories and four major metropolitan areas to bolster hospitals’ abilities to respond to bioterrorist attacks and other disasters (see GSN, May 21).

“States and communities can use these funds to improve emergency care in any health crisis, whether the sources is a bioterror attack or other infectious disease outbreaks like SARS or West Nile virus, or any natural disaster like a flood or hurricane,” Thompson said.

Over three years, the department’s Health Resources and Services Administration has provided $1.5 billion for hospital disaster response.

The metropolitan areas set to receive the HHS grants are New York, Chicago, Los Angeles County and Washington (Health and Human Services release, May 24).

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