HHS Announces New Hospital Preparedness Program Awards - July 6, 2011

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on July 1 announced it is awarding funds for disaster preparedness programs to every state and three metropolitan areas. In total, HHS will distribute $352 million. The funds, part of the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), may be used to employ experts with experience in disaster preparedness, and can also be used to purchase equipment such as mobile medical units to respond to disasters. In the past, HPP funds have also been used to track the availability of hospital beds so hospitals can better prepare for post-disaster patient surges. HHS also indicated it will provide additional disaster preparedness funds in August through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement program. PHEP funds may be used to prepare public health systems for emergencies. Find more information on the HPP online.