LANSING - In February 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made available $24 million in competitive funds to enhance pandemic influenza preparedness. Michigan received an award of more than $2 million.

The Michigan Department of Community Health's (MDCH) Office of Public Health Preparedness will provide the oversight and distribution to three sub-recipient projects: a Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) expansion, a new electronic mortality reporting system, and a pilot project through the Spectrum Healthcare System, designed to ensure delivery of essential healthcare services during a pandemic. The grant period will run from Sept. 30, 2008 to Sept. 29, 2009.

These projects support the state's strategic enhancement of public health and healthcare preparedness. The MCIR All Hazards Enhancement Project, developed through MDCH's Bureau of Epidemiology, expands the use of the registry to achieve timely reporting, data aggregation, and data exchange in the event of an influenza pandemic. The new PHIN-compliant electronic mortality reporting system, developed through MDCH's Bureau of Local Health and Administrative Services, enables the exchange of mortality data with federal partners and enhances integration with existing disease reporting systems. The final project, developed through Spectrum Health of Grand Rapids, develops a set of planning and operations guidelines to identify and provide essential healthcare while also caring for large numbers of hospitalized and home-bound patients during a pandemic.

States, counties, cities, and U.S. territories were encouraged to apply for the competitive grant based on policy innovation and potential for nationwide replication in one or more of the following areas:

- engaging the public in public health decision-making,

- enhancing electronic laboratory data related to pandemic influenza surveillance,

- developing statewide Public Health Information Network (PHIN)-compliant electronic mortality reporting,

- integration of state-based immunization information systems,

- developing preparedness among identified at-risk populations, and

- distribution strategies for isolated or quarantined persons.

For more information, please contact the Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness, Dr. Jacqueline Scott, at (517) 335-8150.