Nashville - Governor Phil Bredesen and Health Commissioner Kenneth Robinson, M.D., announced today that Tennessee will receive an additional $24,819,340 in bioterrorism preparedness grant funds from the Federal Government, a continuation of funding from the previous year.
“I’m pleased that our strong local and state coordination on homeland security in Tennessee has helped bring in additional federal funds to protect all Tennesseans,” Gov. Bredesen said. “Tennessee continues to make strides that effectively strengthen our ability to ensure the protection and well-being of citizens in the event of a bioterrorism threat or other public health emergency. These funds will go a long way in increasing our statewide response to emergencies.”
The funds will improve the abilities of hospitals, public health agencies and medical laboratories across the state to respond to public health emergencies. The grant will provide an increased capability to recognize and report disease outbreaks, allowing a more rapid response to these public health emergencies.
"Tennessee has an excellent public health preparedness program, and this grant will further enhance our abilities,” said Dr. Robinson. “It will provide additional capability for our public health professionals who are our first line of defense against bioterrorism incidents. We will use this funding in support of the state's comprehensive homeland security strategy."
Tennessee received $20 million federal funding in fiscal year 2002-2003, $29.6 million in 2003-2004, and $25.2 million in 2004-2005 for bioterrorism preparedness. The funding has enabled the State to strengthen disease surveillance and reporting systems, hire additional personnel in state and local health departments, improve communications systems and laboratory capacity, and provide training to health care providers, emergency personnel and public health staff.
In 2003, Trust for America’s Health released a report rating Tennessee among the top four states for its preparedness efforts to respond to bioterrorism and public health emergencies. In 2004, Tennessee was one of the first states to deploy Chempack, nerve agent antidotes, statewide.