Washington, D.C., May 24, 2004—The American Public Health Association today announced its opposition to a Bush administration proposal to redirect funds intended for state bioterrorism preparedness and called for funding increases to cover the costs of any new programs.
The Department of Health and Human Services proposed last week taking money from the states intended for existing preparedness projects to fund targeted new efforts, including the “Cities Readiness Initiative.” This program would develop an ability in 21 of the largest U.S. cities to distribute medications and supplies rapidly during a public health emergency.
“While we agree that rapid improvement in areas of vulnerability is needed and the cities program represents an important new approach, new funds should be invested to meet these needs,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “By moving previously committed money around, we’re trapped in the familiar shell game that has bedeviled public health for decades. This proposal amounts to about a million dollar cut to each state, which comes on top of the administration’s fiscal year 2005 budget request that already cuts public health preparedness for state and local governments by more than $105 million.”
“Are we committed to improving public health preparedness or not?” asked Benjamin. “We have made significant progress in preparing for a bioterrorist attack and much more needs to be done. But in order to continue to improve our preparedness levels, serious, sustained, real commitment to improvements is needed, and it starts with money.”