Federal funding cuts could threaten public health progress

Gains in preparedness since the 2001 attacks have also led to improved readiness for other types of emergencies.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Oct. 1, 2007.

Washington -- The nation's public health system is much better positioned to respond to emergencies than it was five years ago, say local administrators. But they fear recent federal funding cuts will undermine their gains.

Officials point to funding increases that arrived in the post-9/11 era as a big reason for the improvements. Events in the fall of 2001 served to highlight the role public health plays in defending the United States, but departments nationwide struggled to meet the challenge and resorted to such tactics as shifting personnel from disease control to contend with anthrax-tainted letters.

Congress responded by providing money that many regarded as long-overdue. Public health officials say they have used those funds to strengthen and modernize what had been a shaky and archaic infrastructure. Now the flow of dollars is slowing, and officials fear it could lead to the dismantling of their progress.

In fiscal 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention distributed $918 million in emergency preparedness funds to states, territories and four large cities. Over the next five years, funding declined, according to a report released last month by the National Assn. of County and City Health Officials.

Because of those funding cuts, 28% of the local health departments surveyed by NACCHO reduced staff time on emergency preparedness, 27% delayed completion of preparedness plans, and 17% delayed or canceled work-force training.