The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced that the 2015 package of emergency preparedness grants for local public health agencies and healthcare systems will total roughly $840 million, the same as last year's amount.
HHS distributes the grant funds through two federal preparedness programs: the Hospital Preparedness Program (totaling $228.5 million in 2015) and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness programs (totaling $611 million in 2015).
"Protecting health from the impacts of emergencies — whether it's a disease outbreak or a natural disaster — requires constant, continuous vigilance," said Nicole Lurie, MD, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response for HHS. "States and communities leverage our program every day to enhance community resilience and protect the nation's health security."
Under both the HPP and PHEP programs, each state or other jurisdiction receives a standard base grant and an additional amount based on population.
The states with the most in total HPP available funding are:
1. California — $23,204,454
2. Texas — $15,821,740
3. Florida — $11,661,603
4. New York — $9,617,523
5. Illinois — $8,867,636
6. Pennsylvania — $8,131,994
7. Ohio — $7,459,074
8. Virginia — $6,295,382
9. North Carolina — $6,144,995
10. Michigan — $6,086,643
The states with the most in total PHEP available funding are:
1. California — $42,550,665
2. Texas — $37,664,097
3. Florida — $29,486,535
4. New York — $19,804,717
5. Pennsylvania — $19,524,277
6. Ohio — $17,904,402
7. Illinois — $16,717,286
8. Michigan — $16,671,987
9. Georgia — $16,013,312
10. New Jersey — $15,592,851
To read the full list of HPP and PHEP budget funding for 2015 by state and city, click here.
More articles on emergency preparedness:
HHS launches online tool to aid in health disaster readiness
Report deems Ebola preparedness in many hospitals inadequate: 10 things to know
Ensuring healthcare staffing preparedness for the next epidemic