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Florida Could Be Model for Readiness, Officials Say
Florida has emerged at the forefront of bioterrorism preparedness since the 2001 anthrax attacks killed one worker and infected two others at the American Media building in Boca Raton, the Christian Science Monitor reported today (see GSN, Dec. 14, 2004). The Trust for America’s Health, an independent research group in Washington, last year assessed states’ public-health readiness in 10 categories. Both Florida and North Carolina received high marks in nine of the 10 categories, according to the Monitor. Florida scored highly largely because of its strong public-health infrastructure, said Florida Health Secretary John Agwunobi. “I’m pleased this recognizes the work we’ve done, but it isn’t something that allows us to sit back because we are still nowhere near where we want to be,” Agwunobi said. The state’s five-year public-health plan calls for additional resources against bioterrorism, officials said. In the event of a WMD attack, Florida hospitals have the capacity to treat 500 people per 1 million of population, and can admit 50 per 1 million. Spending on public health has increased from $1.73 billion in fiscal 2000 to $2.17 billion in fiscal 2005, the Monitor reported. Florida has also created an Internet-based instant-warning system that allows doctors and health workers to report suspicious disease symptoms to the state’s entire medical community. The state’s disease reporting requirements are among the strictest in the country, according to the Monitor (Richard Luscombe, Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 26).
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