HHS Allots More Than $613 Million to Strengthen Emergency Preparedness Nationwide

All 50 U.S. states and territories will be able to boost their public health emergency preparedness capabilities as the federal Department of Health and Human Services awarded more than $613 million to strengthen all-hazards emergency preparedness.

The allotment also includes funding for four large metropolitan areas and Pacific island areas.

The Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement is administered by the HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agreement supports state, local, and territorial health departments in achieving 15 public health preparedness capabilities and other activities to promote safer and more resilient communities, the CDC said in a statement.

"State and local public health departments have made tremendous advances in public health preparedness and response since the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The terrorist attacks highlighted the importance of health security and the need to expand the federal government's investments in state and local public health preparedness," said Dr. Ali S. Khan, director of CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, which oversees the PHEP cooperative agreement. "These funds work to secure the nation from all public health threats."

According to the CDC, its new PHEP cooperative agreement focuses on advancing public health preparedness for public health laboratory testing, public health surveillance and epidemiological investigation, community preparedness, medical countermeasure dispensing, responder safety and health, emergency operations coordination, emergency public information and warning, and other capabilities.

Allotments