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CDC releases state public health response preparedness report | 02.21.2008 | 09:00:41 | Views: 6253 | ID: February 21 '08: Reuters reported that a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that many states in the are more prepared for a public health emergency or biological attack "but still lacked trained staff and specialized facilities." In an agency press release, the CDC's Director Dr. Julie Gerberding said that the assessment "illustrates the many specific ways that the investments we've been making since 2001 have increased states' capacity to quickly and effectively respond to a wide range of health hazards and emergencies." Some of the key findings of the report include an increase in public health departments bringing in more epidemiologists to detect and investigate potential health threats; an increase in the use by state and local health departments of the Epidemic Information Exchange - a secure CDC-based communications system which helps distribute information and track diseases; and the ability of all state health departments now to receive urgent health threats 24/7/365 compared with only 12 states having that capability in 1999 using the Health Alert Network. Since 2001, almost $8 billion in federal funding "has been allocated for emergency preparedness" Reuters reported. Though, despite all the good news, there were areas for improvement. Reuters reported that there is a gap in public health departments' abilities to recruit and retain qualified epidemiologists "and a national system for distributing drugs and vaccines is not up to speed." National Blueprint Tags: Response & Containment, Public Health & Medical, Legal & Intergovernmental.
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