Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt announced July 17 that the department has provided another $896.7 million to the states, territories, and four metropolitan areas to improve and sustain their ability to respond to public health emergencies. The funding is in addition to the $430 million made available late last month.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is coordinating the funding to be used for preparedness and response to all-hazards public health emergencies including terrorism, pandemic influenza, and other naturally occurring public health emergencies.
The funding includes $5.4 million for states bordering Mexico and Canada (including the Great Lakes states) for the development and implementation of a program to provide effective detection, investigation, and reporting of urgent infectious disease cases in the three nations’ shared border regions.
