October 13, 2005

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has received $42 million in continued federal funding to help public health departments and hospitals in Michigan increase the capacity to plan for and respond to terrorism and other public health emergencies.

“These funds will help us build on the progress we have made the past five years with our state and local partners,” said MDCH Director Janet Olszewski. “The funds will be used to upgrade infectious disease reporting, expand public health laboratories, and improve connectivity between our response partners.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing $27 million for public health departments, while the Health Resources and Services Administration is providing $15 million to Michigan hospitals, EMS, and other health care agencies. Both agreements will result in a stronger response system to care for Michigan residents during health related emergencies.

“The continued funding means we can now move from planning to implementation and integration,” said Dr. Jacqueline Scott, Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness. “The activities we are currently planning will help decrease the time needed to detect threats, investigate cases and communicate protective measures to the public. The focus is on saving lives and preserving quality of life and health."

MDCH continues to work diligently with local health departments, hospitals, medical control authorities and emergency medical services agencies on efforts to ensure the health, safety and security of Michigan residents. Among other things, Olszewski said these public health resources are used for:

· Real time detection of public health threats, often before confirmed laboratory or diagnosis is available, along with rapid laboratory responses for testing chemical and biological agents

· Virtual alerting systems that immediately notifies public health and health care officials during a crisis

· Improved communication capacity to distribute health and safety information to the public

· Access to pharmaceutical and medical supplies during crisis involving mass casualties

· Health care systems with improved capacity to isolate and care for suspected cases of highly infectious diseases, and improved decontamination systems for managing patients who have potentially been exposed during a chemical, or radiological incident

· Training personnel in the public health and medical workforces